Africa-Press – South-Africa. An inter-ministerial committee tasked with resolving challenges in the trucking industry – which led to the crippling shut down of major routes, including the crucial N3, by striking drivers last week – has adopted an action plan aimed at resolving challenges in the road freight sector.
The plan involves the enforcement of visa requirements for drivers, a review of the cross-border road transport legislation, and the amendment of the national road traffic legislation.
The road and freight inter-ministerial committee – made of the Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi; Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula; Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi; and Police Minister Bheki Cele – has held engagements with various stakeholders, including employees, to resolve a series of issues that are largely linked to the recruitment of foreign truck drivers.
In his address, Motsoaledi stated that truck driving was not a scarce skill and that employers who were found to be on the wrong side of the law would face the consequences.
“We are confronted with this problem because there are some people who do not want to respect the law. I am hearing stories that there are certain types of drivers that are said to be scarce,” he said.
The task team is expected to meet monthly to give a progress report on the implementation of the action plan.
Truck drivers had blockaded the busy N3 linking the inland provinces with the country’s key trade ports of Durban and Richards Bay, obstructing the flow of traffic for over 24 hours.
The strike has been described by various stakeholders including the Road Freight Association as economic sabotage.
The representatives of the truck drivers who had embarked on the nationwide strike have voiced support for the action plan.
Road Freight Association (RFA) CEO Gavin Kelly said in a statement on Monday that it agreed with and supported the action plan.
“The compliance of employers in the transport sector with all regulatory requirements, is non-negotiable. There are both companies and so-called representative organisations within the road freight sector who refuse to comply with the basic requirements of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) or the main agreement within the sector,” he said.
“The RFA supports all efforts to stop the disruption of the logistics chain. The root causes have been identified, and the proposed implementation plan clearly identifies who, what, when and how these causes must be addressed [and resolved].”
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