After the carnage on the N3 last Sunday, which included damage of 35 trucks, a total of 56 people were arrested for public violence and possession of suspected stolen property.
This was after police found items such as meat, tissues, floor tiles and toilet paper during a recovery operation.
ALSO READ: UPDATE: Protest flares up again on the N3 near the Mooi Toll Plaza
The 56 arrested suspects were meant to make an appearance in the Mooi River Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday however only eight people were in the dock.
Police say that these eight people were found in possession of the property that was looted from the trucks.
“The Senior Public Prosecutor indicated to police that the evidence against the other 48 is insufficient and ordered that the police release them from custody,” said police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele.
The eight suspects, who included two minors made a brief appearance in the Mooi River Magistrate’s Court last week.
The minors were released into their parents’ custody while the remaining six suspects were remanded in custody.
Chaos broke out on the N3 near the Mooi Toll Plaza on Monday evening when protesting truck drivers brought traffic to a standstill.
READ MORE: WATCH: Protestors loot truck on the N3 near Mooi Toll Plaza
27 trucks were torched, while others were damaged. The protest allegedly stems from South African truck drivers who are dissatisfied about the employment of foreign nationals in the trucking industry.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mxolisi Kaunda said that the Department of Labour is intervening in the dispute; working with the employers and drivers associations.
“The provincial government is in the process of signing a protocol agreement with the Department of Labour to assist law enforcement officers to deal with African Nationals employed illegally within the logistics sector. The Department of Labour is also going to conduct labour inspections on the companies that are accused of employing foreign nationals at the expense of locals,” said Mr Kaunda.
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