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Truck drivers protesting on the N3 are causing mass traffic congestion. Due to this, the N11 was closed. However, the updates are looking positive.
One of the most severe problems is along the N3 Toll Route near Montrose. Thanks to several trucks obstructing the road, the highway remains closed.
Law enforcement was deployed and is still monitoring the situation, according to the N3 Toll Concession.
There are significant traffic disruptions and delays between Tugela Plaza and Harrismith. Travellers to this area are advised to postpone their journey until further notice.
Because of the blockade’s impact, the N11 at the Dundee offramp heading towards Ladysmith was closed. Since then, the road has been reopened.
However, the RTI and SAPS are attempting to divert northbound traffic (travelling towards Gauteng) at the Bergville Interchange. At Frere Interchange, a diversion and turnaround are also being implemented.
On Sunday, October 24, 2021, truck drivers began protesting in other provinces, with a group of truck drivers preventing trucks from passing through the N10 national road outside Middelburg in the Eastern Cape.
Truck drivers are allegedly enraged that freight companies are employing foreign nationals.
On Monday night, October 25, 2021, a NATJOINTS communique was issued, directing the deployment of multi-disciplinary law enforcement teams. The teams focused on enforcing compliance with the law, ensuring that foreign operators driving trucks have the necessary documents and meet all legal requirements.
This was one of the resolutions reached on Monday after Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi met with protesting truck drivers and small truck operators who had blockaded the N9 and N10 highways outside Middleburg, in the Eastern Cape.
The Ministries said in a joint statement that Nxesi and Mbalula accepted a memorandum of demands “which entails legitimate demands that negatively affect workers in the sector.”
According to the statement, the engagements with the protesting drivers and operators acknowledged that the employment of foreign nationals impacts job opportunities for South African citizens.
“All the parties, being government, truck drivers and small truck operators are committed to a lasting solution within the ambit of the law,” it reads. The road in the Eastern Cape has since been cleared, but this is not the case in today’s situation.
Motorists are encouraged to use caution on the road and instead take the N3 Toll Concession’s recommended alternative routes.
For traffic updates or to report problems on the N3 Toll Route, please call the N3 Helpline at 0800 63 43 57 or visit their website by clicking here.
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