Image: News Chant South Africa
A protest that badly interrupted traffic on the crucial N3 corridor between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal has resulted in the arrest of twelve truck drivers.After truck drivers barricaded the toll route from 3 a.m. on Friday, causing major delays at Van Reenen’s Pass, the highway was only fully reopened early on Saturday. The protest action was allegedly sparked by the government’s apparent refusal to provide input on the employment of foreign drivers, according to truck operators.On Sunday, police spokesperson Brig Jay Naicker claimed that 12 truck drivers had been arrested for obstructing traffic and refusing to remove their vehicles despite police orders to do so.On Monday, they will face charges of violating the Criminal Law Amendment Act and the Road Traffic Act in the Ladysmith magistrate’s court.Several truck drivers parked their trucks across the N3 motorway during the demonstration, obstructing both carriageways, according to Naicker.“They then exited their vehicles, bringing traffic to a halt for the rest of the day.”“Some of the trucks’ keys had been seized by the suspects, rendering them immobile for an extended period of time.”The barricade was broken up by law enforcement officers from numerous agencies.