Twelve truck drivers have been arrested in connection with a protest that severely disrupted traffic on the key N3 corridor between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The highway was only fully reopened early on Saturday after truck drivers barricaded the toll route from 3am on Friday, causing major disruptions at Van Reenen's Pass. Truck operators said the government's alleged failure to provide feedback on the employment of foreign drivers resulted in the protest action.
On Sunday, police spokesperson Brig Jay Naicker said 12 truck drivers, whose vehicles obstructed the flow of traffic and who defied instructions by police to remove their trucks, were arrested.
They will appear in the Ladysmith magistrate's court on Monday on charges of contravention of the Criminal Law Amendment Act and the Road Traffic Act.
During the protest action, Naicker said numerous truck drivers had parked their trucks across the N3 freeway, blocking both carriageways.
“They then alighted from their vehicles causing traffic to come to a standstill for the entire day.
“The suspects had taken the keys of some of the trucks, rendering them immovable for a long period of time.”
Law enforcement officials from various entities cleared the blockade.
TimesLIVE
Dozen truckers to stand trial for N3 blockade
Image: 123RF/photoglory
Twelve truck drivers have been arrested in connection with a protest that severely disrupted traffic on the key N3 corridor between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The highway was only fully reopened early on Saturday after truck drivers barricaded the toll route from 3am on Friday, causing major disruptions at Van Reenen's Pass. Truck operators said the government's alleged failure to provide feedback on the employment of foreign drivers resulted in the protest action.
On Sunday, police spokesperson Brig Jay Naicker said 12 truck drivers, whose vehicles obstructed the flow of traffic and who defied instructions by police to remove their trucks, were arrested.
They will appear in the Ladysmith magistrate's court on Monday on charges of contravention of the Criminal Law Amendment Act and the Road Traffic Act.
During the protest action, Naicker said numerous truck drivers had parked their trucks across the N3 freeway, blocking both carriageways.
“They then alighted from their vehicles causing traffic to come to a standstill for the entire day.
“The suspects had taken the keys of some of the trucks, rendering them immovable for a long period of time.”
Law enforcement officials from various entities cleared the blockade.
TimesLIVE
N3 reopens after truck protest but drivers face wet-weather warning
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