A truck driver from a Durban based trucking company is lucky to escape without injury after he was shot at while driving on the R59 just after the R550 offramp on Friday night.
A source told SA Trucker that the driver was driving towards Johannesburg when the shooting occurred.
“It’s alleged that he found out that the road was blockaded with burning objects and the driver avoided them by driving over the road shoulder to pass. That’s when he was shot at,” the source said.
The bullet missed him and dropped on the truck floor.
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It’s not known who the gunmen were and what their intentions were.
On social media, some reports have linked the shooting to the planned national shutdown but this could not be verified.
South African truck drivers have planned a protest that could see major highways being blockaded by trucks.
Their concerns include the employment of foreign nations as truck drivers and the pay-per-load system that employers use.
Previously, similar action resulted in severe traffic disruptions on the country’s major economic routes. The government formed a task team to address the truck drivers’ concerns but the All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa (ATDF-ASA) says their issues are still unresolved.
Routes that have previously been affected by similar protests includes the N3, N11, M4 & M7 in Durban, N2, and N4.
SAPS is expected to deploy members to monitor all the hotspots like Mooiriver, Vosloorus and Marianhill toll plaza.
