The N3 toll road has been totally closed off to traffic on Tuesday, 14 June 2022, due to an ongoing protest led by truck drivers.
N3 toll road closures: Traffic updates on Tuesday, 14 June 2022
Heavy congestion was witnessed on the busy N3 interchange, on Tuesday morning, after a number of freight trucks created a blockade, effectively rendering all traffic, in both directions, to a halt.
In a statement released by N3 Toll Concession spokesperson Thania Dhoogra, reports of the unrest were first made at approximately 06:00. Dhoongra further warned motorists to avoid, at all cost, the N3 toll route near Makiti, between Warden and Villiers in the Free State.
“Road users are warned to approach the area with caution,” Dhoongra warned.
While no organisation has come forward to claim responsibility for the protest, murmurs suggest this may be the eventuality of a flyer warning about a national truck drivers’ strike.
The flyer contains the logo of the All Truck Drivers and Allied South Africa (ATDASA) and suggests that the protest will take place between Tuesday, 14 June 2022 and Friday, 17 June 2022.
Some of the listed reasons for the protest include:
- Claims that the Transport Department has no control over the traffic register
- Foreign nationals are allegedly abusing the traffic register
- The Department of Labour is doing nothing to enforce policies on foreign truck drivers
- Department of Home Affairs is allegedly giving foreign nationals South African surnames
- Not wanting dashcams placed inside freight trucks
Moreover, the flyer claims that the protest is also a call to reduce petrol prices to a flat rate of R11,28 per litre.
Here are videos of the N3 toll road closure that have surfaced on social media:
Update: The #N3 Toll Route is currently obstructed near Makiti (between Warden and Villiers in the Free State) by trucks blocking the road in both directions. @CrimeLookoutS @IanCameron23 @stanfromibf @BOSBEER2006 @Elma09915430 @boeremeisievatn @MARIUSBROODRYK pic.twitter.com/s6vJc7eWJm
— SA emergency 2 (@MambaBroodryk) June 14, 2022
Truck drivers drinking beer while protesting on N3, or is it hired hooligans? pic.twitter.com/EErNqK29nw
— SA Trucker (@rsa_trucker) June 14, 2022