Sowetan

Trucks used to block freeway

Bystanders loot goods

- By Aron Hyman‚ Esa Alexander and Orrin Singh

Two trucks were used to barricade the N1 highway and then set alight during protests by truck drivers yesterday.

Bystanders helped themselves to the scorched remains of goods from the trucks.

Protests started across the country on Tuesday with several roads being barricaded and trucks burnt or hijacked. The strike is related to unhappines­s about the employment of foreigners in the trucking industry.

Two truck drivers were “hijacked” on Cape Town’s roads on Tuesday after protesters brought traffic on the N1 and N7 to a standstill.

Former Western Cape ANC elections head and premier Ebrahim Rasool condemned the threats against foreigners through his organisati­on OneAfrica.Org.

Sipho Zungu of the All Truck Drivers Foundation told Sowetan’s sister publicatio­n Times LIVE on Tuesday he was aware of calls for a national shutdown‚ but had “nothing to do with it”.

“I have never called for any shutdown. But it is understand­able that the drivers are now fed up. We are asking for justice to be done‚” he said.

 ??  ?? Truck set alight on the N1 near Kraaifonte­in, Cape Town.
Truck set alight on the N1 near Kraaifonte­in, Cape Town.

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