Durban – In the early hours of Tuesday, a group of truckers parked their vehicles on both sides of the N3 freeway near Makiti at the Roadside/Reitz interchange in the Free State - causing massive delays on one of South Africa’s main arterial routes.
The N3 Toll Concession put out a warning to motorists on Tuesday, urging them to approach the area between Warden and Villiers with caution.
Traffic was reportedly backed up for around 5km, both north and southbound.
“Traffic on the N3 Toll Route is currently obstructed by trucks blocking the road in both directions near Makiti (at Roadside/Reitz interchange) between Warden and Villiers in the Free State,” the N3 Toll Concession said.
Free State police confirmed the incident but said the situation was now under control.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said they were investigating the reasons behind the blockade.
“For now we are not aware of why it happened but all the role players are on the ground and we will know by later today what the cause was,” Makhele told IOL.
Some of the images circulating on social media show trucks parked horizontally across the road.
Some trucks were also stretched across the grass verge on the side of the freeway.
According to the Facebook page SA Long Distance Trucker, the blockade was part of a protest by the All Truck Drivers Forum (ATDF).
A letter which bore the ATDF letterhead spelt out the grievances the organisation had with the state of trucking in South Africa. These included the price of fuel and the hiring of foreign nationals as drivers.
IOL