My business is on the verge of collapse – truck owner

A freight company owner whose truck was among those first targeted on Sunday in the ongoing coordinated attacks on freight industry, has told of how his business has been left on its knees with job losses now looming.

So far, 21 trucks have been torched in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. 

The man from KwaZulu-Natal, who has been running the transportation business for 20 years, told Sowetan the latest onslaught on the industry could not have come at the worst time for his business.

He asked not to be named for fear of being targeted by what he called a "syndicate that is well-organised and dangerous".

"Following the attack, my business is now on the brink [of collapse] and we are really feeling the pinch because of many things that are hampering our industry and business in general in this country," the man said.

The businessman spoke to Sowetan hours after police minister Bheki Cele announced that 12 people of interest have been identified through investigation and intelligence collection.

The who man had been running a lucrative transportation business between SA and the Southern African Development Community region, said the attacks couldn't have happened at the worst time for his business.

He told Sowetan that his business had been cowering because of the unfavorable economic conditions in the country.

"This attack happened during the most difficult time. These current losses will give me no other option but to start considering retrenching staff so that the business can stay afloat.

"We are extremely afraid of victimisation. This crime syndicate is big, well-organised and dangerous," he said.

Glen Naidoo, the head of security firm KZN VIP Protection Unit, told Sowetan that previously when trucks were torched, some business entities hired private companies to ensure the protection of their vehicles but that hasn't happened in the latest attacks. "Businesses are very scared but I don't think they can afford it financially."

He said because of finances, businesses were left vulnerable.

Meanwhile, Cele told a media briefing on Wednesday that evidence pointed to "organised coordinated and sophisticated operations that seek to undermine and sabotage the state".

He said in KZN a total of nine trucks were attacked since Sunday. Six trucks along the Van Reenen’s Pass were burnt on Sunday night.

"KZN police are investigating a case of armed robbery, malicious damage to property and attempted murder. Detectives assigned to the cases are closely following up on leads and continue to gather and study all evidence at their disposal," he said.

Cele said police were probing 107 cases in KZN related to the torching of trucks since 2018.

"I sympathise with trucking industry. I would simply not dismiss their cries... I would agree on some other issues and understand how the industry feels. It is a big loss. I never owned a truck but I guess you don't wake up the next morning and buy the truck. You just accumulate some kind of wealth. But I would not fully agree that nothing is being done."

"Police investigations are so far pointing towards an ongoing labour dispute and service delivery issues in the Lydenburg mining belt. Police in that province are investigating three cases of malicious damage to property and robbery and are expecting to make arrests soon," Cele said.

The minister also said there was no evidence that suggests that the recent truck attacks were linked to the 2021 July unrest.

He said there was a plan of action that was already underway, adding that the country’s law enforcement remained on high alert "...and is hard at work at preventing more attacks but also finding these individuals or gangs of thugs hell-bent in causing havoc on our roads."

Cele said he has conducted a high-level meeting with the commissioners of the affected provinces and they are closing in on the perpetrators. He said they have roped in the services of the national defence force and have started monitoring hotspots in the northern KZN area. 

“All major routes have been secured and patrols are being conducted on high-risk routes.”

He said the state intelligence has learnt from the lessons of the July 2021 unrests and are implementing the recommendations of a high-level panel report.

“The high-level panel report by Prof Sandy Africa did find several things. One of those things was an uncoordinated work of intelligence. That is why one makes that point to say we have definitely improved on that. No doubt about it. Even yesterday Nicoc [National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee] has been meeting on this one. That is why we can say there will be no repeat of July 2021,” said Cele.

National police commissioner Fannie Masemola said cops were in possession of videos they were analysing and would "follow up on those people that are on those videos".

In one of the recent videos, a dashcam from a truck's cabin shows the driver stopping his vehicle and then talking to the person who had stopped him through the window. He then gets out of the truck and another man wearing a hoodie takes the driver's seat and starts spraying a flammable substance on the bed behind and sets the truck on fire.