Traffic on N3 starts to move as some truck drivers taken in for questioning

Following a blockade on the N3 this morning, police have taken a number of truck drivers in for questioning after their trucks were found parked across both lanes of the N3 near Van Reenen.

This after hundreds of truck drivers staged a massive blockade on national routes between the Durban harbour and along the N3 Van Reenen’s Pass as part of an ongoing dispute against the employment of foreign truck drivers.

The blockade led to a major traffic jam along the busy economic corridor linking KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

In the early hours of Friday morning, police were notified of the blockade and responded to the scene. Police officers found that the trucks were abandoned by the drivers who removed the keys before they left.

“Police were able to locate the drivers and the keys for their vehicles. The trucks were removed and traffic is able to move albeit very slowly,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker on Friday.

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“We urge motorists to avoid the area until traffic is flowing smoothly. Additional police officers have been deployed to the area to ensure no further blockades on the route.”

Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal government has called on protesting truck drivers to stop sabotaging the economy as a means to voice grievances.

“We are currently in the process of rebuilding confidence in KwaZulu-Natal and repositioning it as a safe premiere investment and tourist destination,” said KZN transport, community safety and liaison MEC Peggy Nkonyeni.

“The blockade from the N3 Van Reenen’s Pass, amounts to an act of economic sabotage not only of the country but shuts down deliveries to our neighbouring countries,” warned Nkonyeni.

Nkonyeni said every time the N3 was closed, the severe disruptions to the supply chains results in millions of rands being lost to the economy.

The province said it was working with the Free State Province to find a solution to the issue.

Additional reporting by Narissa Subramoney