AfriForum demands a task force that will stop the arson of trucks

11 July 2023

The civil rights organisation AfriForum urges the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to urgently convene a multi-faceted task force to arrest the persons responsible for the recent truck fires. This follows a third incident on 10 July where trucks were stopped by armed persons and set on fire.

Johan Kruger, strategic advisor at AfriForum, says that both President Cyril Ramaphosa and Cele must urgently show leadership to curb this wave of truck fires before the situation escalates further. “It is clear that this is a coordinated effort by groups to commit sabotage, terrorize truck drivers and do economic damage to transport companies and the country’s economy. Urgent intervention at various levels is now needed and Cele cannot bury his head in the sand now,” says Kruger.

“The SAPS’s inability to act quickly and decisively has caused great damage to the country in the past and is simply a free pass for these criminals to proceed with coordinated efforts to destabilize the country,” Kruger continues.

According to Kruger, AfriForum’s local safety structures are already on the lookout for similar suspicious behavior and helping to collect information that can be given to the SAPS. “The public also plays a very important role in these circumstances, and we appeal to people who have information about these incidents to come forward and contact us with relevant information,” concludes Kruger.

Issued by Johan Kruger, Strategic advisor, AfriForum, 11 July 2023