There was no throughway for motorists on the N3 highway between Van Reenen, in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng, on Friday morning.
N3 near Van Reenen closed in both directions: Truck blockade. pic.twitter.com/kETNKAWE1W
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) December 3, 2021
N3 protest: Road closure between Van Reenen and Gauteng
Law enforcement officials descended on the section of one of South Africa’s busiest highways, where trucks were parked horizontally across the road, making it virtually impossible for traffic to flow between the two provinces.
In a tweet, the N3 Toll Route confirmed motorists have had no access to the Van Reenen area of the N3 highway, as well as Tugela Plaza, a key Johannesburg-bound route, since as early as 05:07 on Friday morning.
“Law enforcement is on scene monitoring the situation. Motorists are advised to delay travel to the area,” N3 Toll Route warned.
08h13 03/12 #N3TrafficUpdate: #N3Obstruction N3-6X Km 60 near #VanReenen. The road is currently CLOSED. #TugelaPlaza is CLOSED to #N3JoburgBound traffic. Law enforcement is on scene monitoring the situation. Motorists are advised to delay travel to the area.
— N3 Toll Concession (@N3Route) December 3, 2021
Moreover, KZN police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker could only reveal that at this juncture, law enforcement efforts are focused on diverting traffic to alternative routes and finding ways to remove the trucks from the N3 highway.
“Traffic is being diverted to alternative routes. SAPS is on scene, and attempts are underway to remove the trucks,” he said.
Did Minister Mbalula miss the deadline?
The return of the protest action on the N3 highway comes more than a month after truck associations called on Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to grant them an audience.
Similar blockages were witnessed in October 2021. At the time, the South African National Cargo Transport Drivers Association (SANCTDA) came forward as the lead orchestrator of the national shutdown and demanded Mbalula’s audience.
Chief to their disgruntlement was the transport department’s failure to meet their demand of de-registering all foreign national truck drivers. When a decision was reached to remove the trucks on Wednesday 27 October 2021, the association had given Mbalula seven days to act on their list of demands.
“We as SA drivers have decided to give seven days the minister is demanding but in that seven days we’ll remain in this position until he fixes whatever issue needs to be fixed but we’ll remain here as truck drivers,” he said.
It seems their demands have not been met with any action. The transport ministry had not issued a statement at the time this article was published.