Anarchy on roads: Law-abiding citizens being held hostage 

3 September 2019

The situations we had today on the roads around Cape Town, Pretoria and elsewhere in the country come down to nothing but anarchy and absolute disregard for law and order and as a result, law-abiding citizens are being held hostage.

With regard to the blocking of routes to Cape Town, including the busy N2, it is clear that the authorities are either incompetent or unwilling to take action seeing as it was known beforehand that truck drivers were planning to block certain routes.

Apparently, it was done in protest against the continuing violence against truck drivers and their vehicles. This kind of protest action serves no purpose and the aggrieved truck drivers thus only contributed to an even bigger problem instead of working toward a solution.

The same goes for Pretoria where taxi drivers, seemingly without any regard for the law, caused chaos as they blocked roads and stopped trucks and buses to allegedly determine whether foreign citizens were driving the vehicles.

It follows on a situation that took place last week in Pretoria when parts of the city were inaccessible due to arson and plundering, which caused extensive damage.

The FF Plus takes note of the fact that the Ministers of Transport, Labour and Police have already met to discuss the matter and of the statements that they issued, i.e. that the attacks on trucks are an "attempt to sabotage the economy".

The FF Plus wants to correct the ANC government and its ministers by pointing out that these incidences are not mere attempts to sabotage the economy, it is actually just the continuation of economic sabotage that has been going on for some time now and that the ministers have been aware of. It is causing the country great damage and the ANC must take full responsibility for it.

Much greater than the calculable damage done and the immense impact on Sasria (state-owned insurer against, among other things, unrests) which is not profitable for the very first time in its existence, are the loss of human lives and the damage being done to South Africa's image in the international community.

It seems as if xenophobia lies at the root of the problem and is fuelling all the violence. As long as the country's economy is declining and job opportunities are decreasing, this kind of crime will continue to rise. The blame for our weakening economy must be placed at the ANC's door.

The government must start taking decisive action. Roads are like South Africa's economic veins and without them, our economic heartbeat will come to a standstill.

Issued by Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus leader, 3 September 2018