Africa-Press – South-Africa. Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) has lamented the silence from Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula about ongoing blockades on the N3 by trucks, which they say pose a threat to the economy and says it will be asking President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene.
Striking truck drivers have been blocking the crucial N3 Toll Route which links the inland provinces with the port cities of Durban and Richards Bay.
The drivers are calling for an end to the employment of foreign nationals and the high cost of fuel. They have been using their trucks to block the road in both directions, on Van Reenen’s Pass and at the Tugela Plaza.
“We despair at the silence from the minister of transport about this significant disruption of economic activity, at a time when the country needs to instil confidence amongst investors and put South Africa onto a sustainable growth path,” said BUSA chief executive Cas Coovadia.
He said the group, which represents organised business in the country, would be asking President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in the matter to ensure that appropriate resources are mobilised to preempt disruptions.
“We will seek a meeting with the president to raise our concerns and to get a commitment that this matter will be given the urgent attention it requires,” said Coovadia.
Asked to comment on the criticism levelled against him by the group, Mbalula said BUSA should have rather raised the matter with him.
“I have no comment on that because they should have talked to me.”
The N3 Toll Route on Thursday morning issued a statement saying the stretch between Tweedie and Van Reenen’s Pass was “closed to traffic as trucks continue to obstruct the road in both directions on an Reenen’s Pass”.
The operations manager of the N3 Toll Concession, Thania Dhoogra, said the Road Traffic Inspectorate in KwaZulu-Natal was directing northbound traffic off the N3 at the Colenso/Frere interchange.
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