Durban – At least five trucks have been set alight on the N3 at Mooi River tollgate as the #FreeJacobZuma protest spiraled out of control this evening July 9.
No information has yet been received about the safety of the truckers but rampant looting has been reported.
SA Trucker is reliably informed that the arson attacks are part of the provincial protest action by Jacob Zuma supporters, who are demanding his release from the Estcourt Correctional Centre.
Earlier this evening, burning tyres caused an obstruction to the national highway.
The intensity has since increased due to the truck fires.
The N3 is closed and there is a massive backlog on one of South Africa’s busiest highways.
The sparks of protest action were quelled by law enforcement officers this evening who quickly cleared the road of burning debris.
Earlier, the KwaZulu-Natal government called for calm amid growing threats to shut down the province through violent protests over the incarceration of the former president.
KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala called for discipline and for protesters to express their anger through peaceful means.
“We understand the extreme anger of the people who are protesting. As a country and province we find ourselves in a very unusual and unique situation wherein we are dealing with the arrest of a former president of the ANC and the country. We are therefore dealing with very challenging times. However we call on those who are protesting to do so through peaceful means and to avoid violence and destruction at all costs.”
He cautioned about the impact of illegal gatherings under level 4 of the lockdown on Covid-19 infections.
The protesters, however, ignored all his warnings and went ahead and blocked the N3 in their bid to #ShutdownKZN.
SA Trucker also sent out a warning to truckers finding themselves on KwaZulu-Natal roads tonight as tension were clearly high as the sun went down.
