Arson attack on N3 sparks concerns for economy and trade

As attacks on the road freight supply chain continue, South Africa’s economy and national security is under threat.

An arson attack in the early hours of yesterday led to the N3 being temporarily closed at Van Reenen’s Pass through the Drakensberg mountains after six trucks were set alight.

The N3 is a vital corridor between the port of Durban and the rest of SA and is the busiest in the country – carrying higher volumes of traffic (freight, passenger and light motor vehicles for commercial, tourism and private use) than any other.

Road Freight Association CEO Gavin Kelly said fortunately none of the drivers, the assistants or any of the staff in those vehicles were injured or killed, but there was a high price for road freight in terms of losing employees in the road trade sector.

Kelly said this had been ongoing “for at least six years, if not longer”.

He said immediate short-term losses would run into millions of rands which included the cost of vehicles, cargo, personal effects, road damage, emergency medical service response, delays in movement and shipping penalties.

“The long-term impact will be felt in terms of increased security costs on the cost of logistics, higher insurance premiums, higher cover premiums, higher toll fees, less freight movement through SA, closure of freight companies, loss of jobs and the list continues.

“Those who attack the road leg of logistics supply chains need to understand that the long-term effects will bring greater destruction to employment levels and will result in further job losses, as businesses and supporting sectors shrink and trade moves away from SA.”

While it was unclear what motivated the arson attack on the heavy-duty carriers, officials believed it may relate to protests in the area.

In May, the N3 Toll Concession warned motorists to delay travel to Van Reenen’s Pass due to an ongoing community protest at the top.

Kelly said this was not a common scene of looting or theft and questions should be asked about who was responsible for this.

“The perpetrators of this crime are yet unknown but it seems to have been well coordinated. Firearms were used, the timing and the place on the N3 at Van Reenen’s was well chosen to cause the greatest amount of disruption, delay, havoc and fear but nothing was stolen,” he said.

“Is it the same group who bemoan the employment of foreigners in the sector? And if it is, why have they resorted to violence again, why have they decided to make SA a place where people live in fear and where outside markets think twice before they want to use SA.”

With the call from the Road Freight Association on government to take action, Kelly said the department of labour needed to deal with those who were non-compliant with labour laws by employing illegal foreigners.

Political analyst Prof Ntsikelelo Breakfast said attacks on trucks had become common.

“It has been used for many things. It was even used as a build-up to the July 2021 unrest as the conflict started with trucks being set alight. It also shows how sometimes there are politics at play when these activities are displayed.”

Breakfast said trucks were also set alight to convey a message of unhappiness of the use of foreign nationals as drivers.

“It is quite sad that this happens because you need to transport goods from point A to point B. So if you’re going to have something of this nature, it poses a threat to the economy of that region,” he said.

Chief economist at Efficient Group Dawie Roodt said this was “another example of a police force not doing its job”.

Roodt said the message going to the rest of the world was that SA was a dangerous country to do business in.

“It is also an example of an uncompetitive economy which will contribute to higher inflation and of the state not doing what it is supposed to do: protect its citizens. All this will culminate in weak economic growth.”