South Africa: Pretoria moves to protect foreign truck drivers
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – The South African government has issued directives to law enforcement agencies, including the Police Service, to activate their contingency plans in all provinces to ensure that a planned national truck shutdown is policed.
This follows a wave of attacks on trucks on various national roads across all provinces amid growing calls for the disruption of traffic and attacks on trucks driven by foreign nationals.
PANA reports that there is growing resentment in the industry that foreigners have secured jobs in the luctrative road freight industry.
“There will be zero tolerance to any intimidation against truck drivers as well as other road users. Law enforcement will ensure that there are no criminal activities and that the lives of law-abiding citizens are not put in danger,” said national police spokesperson, Vish Naidoo.
The government says it has acknowledged the growing public concerns around the continued presence of foreign nationals in the trucking, security, agriculture, construction, hospitality and domestic sectors, in the midst of high unemployment in South Africa.
It reminded protesters that the country is still under the Covid-19 state of disaster which prohibits gatherings.
-0- PANA CU/VAO 8July2020
