The violent truck drivers strike is in its third week and several trucks have been burnt and drivers attacked.

An assistant truck driver died in Cape Town on Monday after striking workers hit him on the back of the head with a stone on the N2.

The attacks and the latest killing has scared the wife of an owner driver based in Ekurhuleni, who has a contract with ABI.

Most attacks on truck drivers in Gauteng happened in Ekurhuleni.

Seipati Tsolo said her appeal to ABI to suspend the delivery of soft drinks because of the violent strike had been met with threats that her husband's contract would be terminated.

"I do not want to lose my husband, and what this company is doing is to lead owner drivers to their death."

SA Transport Workers' Union spokesman Vincent Masoga said companies that kept sending truck drivers to deliver despite the strike were exposing workers to dangers associated with the strike.

"Though our members are not violent, the reality is that there are criminal elements who attack drivers who are working," he said.

The company's director of corporate affairs, Tshidi Ramogase, said ABI had a risk assessment team that monitored the environment to ensure "we are able to execute our business with minimum risk to our staff".

Ramogase insisted that most of the drivers were willing to take risks and report for work.

"The majority of our drivers have opted to continue working, including over weekends, and where required they are escorted by trained security personnel to further mitigate risk," Ramogase said.

"The consultation process with drivers is a continuous process and drivers have a choice of whether to work or not.

"Any allegations to the contrary are simply devoid of truth." - mabuzak@sowetan.co.za

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Sat May 25 21:35:15 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 11, 2012

warry

Hire security to escort you, our economy is going down, why are we rushing to be like zimbabwe instead ofbbuilding patiently like Japan.
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Oct 11, 2012

MommaC

Seipati, talk to your husband, not to ABI. He is the one who makes the decision.

The blerrie cops need to get their thumbs out of their bums and DO THEIR JOB. Arrest the thugs and stop the violence. For goodness sakes, what the hell do we pay them for?
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Oct 11, 2012

Pointman

"Though our members are not violent, the reality is that there are criminal elements who attack drivers who are working," he said.

Vincent Masoga is a nincompoop for assuming that we will buy this kind of drivel. The fact is that Satawu is the most violent union in the country.
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Oct 11, 2012

Gusheshe

Damn those hooligans are violent jo at some stage i have seen a truck been pelted with stones and the driver got out of the truck while it was still moving and the driver ran for dear life and that happened in the presence of police cause one of those police officer ran after the truck to get inside and apply the brakes to make it standstil cause it was gonna hit the nearest building. What message are we sending to the world out there that SA is a violent country? this must come to an end peolpe must learn to protest peacefully
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Oct 11, 2012

hunkymaitus

The company's director of corporate affairs, Tshidi Ramogase, said ABI had a risk assessment team that monitored the environment to ensure "we are able to execute our business with minimum risk to our staff".

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wat tha hack ? u gotta be kidding me.Those guys are so merciless wen ever u do the opposite of what they believe in CONSIDER URSELF MINCE MEAT.
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Oct 11, 2012

Papage

Privatise all delivery Trucks, Drivers must form Corporatives and pay themselves, this will aliviate striking parterns, they must work for themselves and stop complaining. We have so many people owning Trucks and they dont belong to Unions, rude Unions, I think is time we stop and check if Unions are still relavent in this day and time, I dont think so, the now work force is skilled and can better negotiate for themself rather than wasting their monthly contributions to Unions that does nothing for them.
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Oct 11, 2012

mhlupheki

the problem is tht they cannot differentiate trucks from logistic against food, beverages, steel, groceries and chemical trucks, they even attack cars. i think satawu must be fined because their leaders are refusing to condemn the attacks, because they are afraid of loosing members to Fedusa and Nactu affiliates
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Oct 11, 2012

Gusheshe

@mhlupheki

I agree with u satawu must be fined cause they fail to take responsibility for their unruly members behaviour and they protect them claiming they are innocent
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Oct 11, 2012

PapaKamo03

This Corporate Affairs Director says there is an assessment team that ensures that workers have "minimum" risk. A risk is a risk...there should be "NO RISK" to the drivers..K@k
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Oct 11, 2012

Chichi7

sadly cops are not willing to put themselves at risk after the Marikana saga. We as the people need to decide what these cops must do
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