Truck strike hits economy
As hundreds of trucks stood idle in the Bay yesterday due to a nationwide truckers’ strike, logistic companies were counting their losses.
With the national lockdown already crippling businesses across SA, the strike — over claims foreign nationals are employed as drivers instead of South Africans — came at the worst possible time, they said.
As trucks were parked at depots and packhouses, protests flared up in various parts of Port Elizabeth throughout the day, with one driver who tried to make a delivery in Markman Industrial having stones lobbed at his truck’s windscreen and a petrol-bomb thrown at the vehicle.
Twizza and Crickley Dairy owner Ken Clark said his driver managed to escape unharmed.
“The truck was maliciously damaged,” he said.
“Someone threw stones and a petrol bomb at the truck.
“The amazing part is the driver is from SA.”
Clark said the truck’s windscreen had since been repaired.
“We expect the police to hold those responsible accountable,” he said.
“We hope the police take firm action.”
As the trucks stood idle, logistic companies were still trying to figure out their losses.
“We are still struggling to deal with Covid-19 and then this happens.
“It is horrible,” another owner said.
He declined to be named for fear of his company being targeted.
He said 18 of his trucks had been parked all day, resulting in a massive loss.
“The protesters are complaining about the foreign drivers, but I don’t know how accurate their claims are.
“I only employ three Zimbabwean drivers. The rest are all South Africans.”
He said the government should regulate the industry with regard to the employment of foreigners so that the trucks could get back on the road.
“This would quickly solve the problem and the trucks could get back on the road.”
Yesterday morning, a group of truckers gathered outside the Swartkops truck stop, joining protests across the country.
All Truck Driver’s Foundation representative Xolani Masimini said the 50 or so drivers were staging a peaceful demonstration and were not blocking any trucks from entering or leaving the premises.
“It’s been years that we’ve been begging the government to intervene and stop truck companies from hiring only foreign nationals and to give us jobs too.
“We are not xenophobic, we are not hateful, but many of us are unemployed while people from outside the country enjoy the benefits of a job,” Masimini said. He denied reports that they had blocked the N2 and said their demonstration was about bringing attention to their plight.
“We just want the attention of the government, and we want an answer,” Masimini said.
Another driver, who did not attend the picket, said the protesters were striking for the right reasons but in the wrong way.
“The foreigners are driving the trucks for less money,” he said.
“The owners want to pay all of us this reduced rate, which is wrong.
“It is just a fact that many of these Zimbabwean guys live in cramped quarters while we have bigger expenses to pay.
“It is not feasible for our rates to drop.”
A second truck driver said: “This will get ugly if not resolved soon.
“People’s livelihoods are being messed with.” The citrus industry — SA’s biggest food exporter and the second-largest industry in the Eastern Cape — has also been affected by the protest, in the middle of its export season.
Sundays River Citrus Company shipping and logistics manager Andre Mouton said trucks had not left their pack houses or depots on Monday.
“We hope this blows over quickly so we can catch up on
the lost time on Tuesday,” he said at the time.
He said a large volume of fruit, for local markets, was also on the pack house floors and would only be delivered when the protest was over.
“Tomorrow we could have issues with transport such as the protest.
“Then the port could be wind-bound the next day.
“And then maybe the port is closed and sanitised for Covid19 reasons.
“You can’t afford to lose a single day anymore,” he said.
Port Elizabeth Grindrod depot manager Stanton Zealand said they had kept their trucks at the depot for the day.
“Obviously this affects us financially. We could not take the risk of letting the trucks leave the site.”
Zealand said he was unsure if they would keep the trucks idle today.
National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) Eastern Cape spokesperson Mandla Peter said while he acknowledged the protests could harm the economy, the organisation supported the cause.
“What is happening to the foreign nationals is modernday slavery,” he said.
“For example, if a South African driver wants to be paid R2,000, a foreign national is happy to be paid R500 — and that is what is hurting our economy more.
“What is an economy without a local workforce?
“The truck drivers have expressed their concerns about this for a number of years now, but nothing has changed.
“We have to support them because South Africans are unemployed.”
National labour department spokesperson Teboho Thejane, in a statement released yesterday, said a task team to deal with the issue had been set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Members of the task team included home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi, employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi, transport minister Fikile Mbalula and the SA Police Service.