In their first appearance the court was told that they are all members of the All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied SA which is against the employment of hiring of foreign drivers in SA. Their bail application was postponed to next month.
Lawyer Senzo Mavuso told the court that as defence they were denied access to their clients and that is why they were not ready for the bail application.
State prosecutor Fedile Tsotetsi said the accused have been moved and housed in different prisons for their safety.
Deputy minister of defence and military veterans Thabang Makwetla, who was in court, labelled the attacks as sabotage to the country’s economy. He said those who are behind the torching of the trucks must use their rights to voice whatever problems they have than turn to sabotaging the economy.
“This is a obviously not a provincial challenge of Mpumalanga. National security and stability is affected by this. Our country is trying to gain traction from Covid-19. People are trying to get their lives together after that. So it is our work to make sure that people thrive to get jobs. We cannot afford activities that are destabilising the country and stop those who are willing to invest and get companies working to create jobs for our people.”
Sifiso Nyathi, the secretary of the forum, told Sowetan on Thursday they would only verify next week if the accused were members of their organisation. “We are waiting for the forum’s leaders in Mpumalanga to meet and verify.”
Sowetan requested Nyathi to share contact details of the forum’s Mpumalanga leadership, but he declined, saying the provincial leaders were not ready to field interviews. He added that the leaders never mandated anyone to burn trucks.
Nyathi, however, raised concern about the media coverage.
“Why does the media become concerned when trucks go up in flames but our grievances are not getting attention? We have been voicing our grievances that truck transport companies are hiring foreigners instead of locals, destroying livelihoods. Does this mean a truck is more important than the livelihoods of local truck drivers?” he asked.
Truck drivers forum yet to verify if accused are members
Police closing in on ‘big fish’ behind torching of trucks
Image: TWITTER
Mpumalanga MEC for community safety, security and liaison says they are closing in on the kingpins behind the torching of trucks.
Speaking outside the Ermelo magistrate’s court where five suspected truck attackers appeared yesterday, MEC Vusi Shongwe said the police were trying to get to the bottom of the incidents, which saw more than 20 trucks being torched in KZN, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
“This is meant to sabotage the country. We are not going to talk much about but our investigation will tell us if from those we looking at are connected to this. But these are just mere truck drivers who needs jobs themselves so burning of trucks may not be in their interest as that sabotages their jobs and the country’s economy.
“But what we know is that there are big fish behind this and the net is closing on them. Remember we have high unemployment in the country and we just recovering from Covid-19, so we cannot allow such sabotage to happen,” said Shongwe.
The police ministry said last month it had identified 12 individuals who are behind the attacks but declined to release more information.
The five men who appeared in court are Khulekani Shongwe, Emmanuel Mthethwa, Fundile Mpondo, Mafika Sibande and Nkosikhona Gumede. They have been charged with malicious damage to property, aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of an illegal firearm, and attempted murder. Four of the suspects still work as drivers.
Drivers among suspects who torched trucks
In their first appearance the court was told that they are all members of the All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied SA which is against the employment of hiring of foreign drivers in SA. Their bail application was postponed to next month.
Lawyer Senzo Mavuso told the court that as defence they were denied access to their clients and that is why they were not ready for the bail application.
State prosecutor Fedile Tsotetsi said the accused have been moved and housed in different prisons for their safety.
Deputy minister of defence and military veterans Thabang Makwetla, who was in court, labelled the attacks as sabotage to the country’s economy. He said those who are behind the torching of the trucks must use their rights to voice whatever problems they have than turn to sabotaging the economy.
“This is a obviously not a provincial challenge of Mpumalanga. National security and stability is affected by this. Our country is trying to gain traction from Covid-19. People are trying to get their lives together after that. So it is our work to make sure that people thrive to get jobs. We cannot afford activities that are destabilising the country and stop those who are willing to invest and get companies working to create jobs for our people.”
Sifiso Nyathi, the secretary of the forum, told Sowetan on Thursday they would only verify next week if the accused were members of their organisation. “We are waiting for the forum’s leaders in Mpumalanga to meet and verify.”
Sowetan requested Nyathi to share contact details of the forum’s Mpumalanga leadership, but he declined, saying the provincial leaders were not ready to field interviews. He added that the leaders never mandated anyone to burn trucks.
Nyathi, however, raised concern about the media coverage.
“Why does the media become concerned when trucks go up in flames but our grievances are not getting attention? We have been voicing our grievances that truck transport companies are hiring foreigners instead of locals, destroying livelihoods. Does this mean a truck is more important than the livelihoods of local truck drivers?” he asked.
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