A truck driver have survived to tell the story after police arrived just seconds before he could be set alight together with his truck during the Mooi River protests.
They had already poured petrol on his body and the back trailer was alight, he had tried to run but the rowdy crowd caught up with him and pushed him into his truck, all because the crowd thought he was a foreign national.
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Apparently the mayhem that saw the busy N3 freeway, R603 and R103 closed to traffic was initially targeted on trucking companies allegedly employing foreign nationals thereby denying locals a fair chance of getting jobs. A report in a local publication, Ladysmith Gazette, reported earlier that trucks which were burnt belonged to companies which hired foreign nationals only.
Many trucks were burnt and looted during the mayhem and traffic was severely affected as many holiday goers headed back to Gauteng.
The driver’s account of how he has the police to thank for saving him was filmed by Patrick O’Leary and shared on Fleetwatch YouTube channel.
