Torching of trucks on N3 ‘planned to bring mayhem and disruption’

The Road Freight Association (RFA) says the torching of six trucks on the N3 highway in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday night was a ruthless and co-ordinated attack on the road freight supply chain, with dire consequences for the economy and business confidence.

The stretch of highway on the Van Reenen’s Pass where the incident took place remained closed for hours on Sunday as the road was inaccessible to emergency services, halting the passage of cargo between Gauteng and the Durban port.

“Both the specific spot on the N3, as well as the timing, were chosen to cause the best outcome in terms of mayhem and disruption,” the RFA said in a statement on Sunday.

The N3 is one of SA’s busiest logistics corridors and ferries higher volumes of traffic (freight, passenger and light motor vehicles) than any other corridor. This is not the first time this part of the N3 highway has been targeted. The July 2020 riots started with the burning and blocking of trucks on the N3.

The association, which represents transport operators and logistics companies in SA, said the immediate short-term losses — which include the cost of vehicles, cargo, damage to the road, emergency response and shipping penalties — would run into millions of rand.

The long-term costs, on the other hand, would involve increased security costs, higher insurance premiums and less freight movement through SA, as well as job losses.

“Those who attack the road leg of logistics supply chains need to understand that the long-term effects will bring greater destruction to employment levels, and will result in further job losses, as businesses and supporting sectors shrink and trade moves away from SA,” said RFA CEO Gavin Kelly.

Economic cost

“Once again, the cost to the SA economy, taking all the above into consideration, will run into billions of rand lost, as business confidence from foreign investors plummets, and those who use SA as a transit hub turn away from us and move to other countries that are safer and more efficient,” he said.

According to the RFA, the road freight sector accounts for 80% of goods moved in and around SA, as well as for those countries that trade with international markets and use SA ports for import and export.

Kelly noted the precision of the attack, saying it was well co-ordinated and implemented and that it was worrying the motivation did not seem to be theft of cargo or looting.

“The more important questions to be answered are: Who is behind this attack, and why. There was no looting of vehicles [therefore not cargo theft in intent], and thankfully none of the drivers or staff on the vehicles were injured or killed,” he said.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Jay Naicker said the motive for the attack is unknown and detectives are investigating a case of malicious damage to property.

The attack on a national highway leading to SA’s ports also comes as the state security agencies have in recent months been more aggressively pushing back against entrenched crime syndicates operating in SA, including at Eskom and Transnet, which have continued to profit from graft at SA’s state-owned enterprises.

FleetWatch, an online trucking magazine, also labelled Sunday’s incident as a deliberate hit.

“After talking to various people on the scene, this was a well-planned attack on trucks. They planned the ambush, got the trucks to stop by spreading some debris and rocks across the road, shooting at them and then burning them.

“One truck has numerous bullet holes in the cab from the attackers shooting at it.”

Business Day reliably understands that SAPS Crime Intelligence and State Security were roped in on Sunday to investigate what could be a “serious and calculated” domestic attack.

A high-level source from within SA’s State Security Agency said preliminary evidence pointed to the “state being tested.” This is because the most inaccessible portion of Van Reenen’s Pass on the N3 for emergency services to access was targeted.

"[It] is the only spot on the N3 that cannot be reached from side roads. If that spot is blocked, no transport can move between the reef and KZN and fire cannot be extinguished as firefighters cannot reach it.

“Emergency vehicles were on the scene quickly but couldn’t come anywhere near to the fires. To me, [it] is a test run as to how they will do future ones in multiple spots,” the source said.

With TimesLIVE

omarjeeh@businesslive.co.za