All Truck Drivers Forum office bearer arrested over inciting violence

A prominent office bearer of the All Truck Drivers Forum South Africa (ATDF-SA) has been arrested after allegedly inciting violence and disrupting traffic on the N3 near Bergville in the early hours of Saturday morning.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said officers were conducting patrols along the N3 southbound when they noticed traffic slowing before eventually coming to a standstill.

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Police investigated and found about 10 people stopping trucks on the highway.

“Realising the presence of the police, the suspects fled into the bushes and abandoned their vehicle, a white Isuzu bakkie with all doors open,” said Netshiunda.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle belonged to a prominent ATDF-SA office bearer.

Police said they found an ATDF-SA banner and stones inside the abandoned bakkie.

While officers were still at the scene, they noticed a suspicious white VW Polo travelling on the N3 northbound.

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Police followed the vehicle and established that it had allegedly come to collect the owner of the abandoned bakkie.

“The driver of the Polo and his passenger, both identified as truck drivers, were arrested together with the driver of the bakkie they had come to rescue,” said Netshiunda.

Police further linked the bakkie owner to the stoning of a bus near the N3 Colenso interchange shortly before his arrest.

The suspects were being processed on Saturday, and police said additional charges could be added as investigations continue.

The arrest comes just a day after KZN police warned of possible disruptions linked to a planned ATDF-SA protest.

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Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, acting provincial commissioner Major General Phumelele Makoba said law enforcement agencies were on high alert following threats that major highways, including the N2 and N3, could be targeted.

The forum had announced plans to disrupt transport and logistics routes as part of a protest over the employment of undocumented foreign nationals in the trucking industry.

Makoba warned that authorities would not tolerate any unlawful activity.

“This is not a new matter,” she said at the time.

We have vivid memories of the damage caused in the past, and we will not allow a repeat of those scenes.

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Police said intelligence teams had been deployed across the province ahead of the planned action, while joint operations involving law enforcement and other government departments were activated to monitor potential flashpoints.

The KZN Department of Transport also confirmed that more than 2 000 Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) officers were on standby across the province to maintain law and order.