Second truck in two weeks torched on KZN South Coast
The truck had allegedly run out of diesel, and while the crew waited for assistance, were approached by a group of men who forced them out of the truck at gunpoint.
This truck was set alight at Tufugezi near Izingolweni last Saturday.
A truck set alight at Tufugezi near Izingolweni on the N2 last Saturday is the second such incident to take place on the South Coast in the past two weeks, reports South Coast Herald.
It’s believed the truck had run out of diesel and, while the crew waited for assistance, they were approached by a group of men who forced them out of the truck at gunpoint.
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According to Lazer 911 Security, the driver, a South African citizen, said two vehicles had stopped in front of his truck.
“These men then offloaded pallets from the truck into their vehicles before setting the truck alight,” said police spokeserson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane.
He confirmed that the driver and his conductor were not harmed.
“A case of armed robbery and malicious damage to property was opened at Ezinqoleni police station,” he said.
No arrests have been made.
The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for transport, community safety and liaison, Mxolisi Kaunda, condemned the incident, and urged the police to speed up investigations.
“This is an act of economic sabotage and anarchy and we will not tolerate it,” he said.
Two weeks ago, a truck driver was shot dead and his truck torched on the N2 near Paddock. The incident, believed to be related to the hiring of foreign drivers, resulted in Zimbabwean truck driver Charles Ntini being found dead metres from his burning truck, which was riddled with bullets.
According to a report by the Road Freight Association, 213 truck drivers have been killed over the past year.
Although it was not made clear how many of these deaths were linked to protests, the report confirmed that 12 foreigners and at least three South Africans were among the victims.
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