Two burnt trucks used to barricade the N1 highway on Wednesday morning were removed by tow-truck drivers and the remaining rubble removed by cleaners, while motorists were diverted to a detour as the N1 highway out of Cape Town was blocked for most of the day.

Cape Town traffic chief Kenny Africa denounced the actions.

“This bad behaviour of people is not acceptable. The inconvenience it causes the public, especially motorists, is terrible. We must now make use of alternate routes to get from A to B,” he said.

“We need to do something about it — but I do believe it won't be long until they get those responsible behind bars.”

Goods including bleach, wine bottles and toilet paper littered the road as recovery trucks moved in by midmorning.

Tow trucks and cleaners cleared the burnt rubble as motorists were rerouted.

Protests started across the country on Tuesday, with several roads barricaded and trucks burnt or hijacked. The strike is related to unhappiness over the employment of foreigners in the trucking industry.