Last week in South Africa, a series of truck burnings occurred apparently as a form of protest against the employment of foreign drivers, highlighting the country’s vulnerability in safeguarding its citizens, assets, and infrastructure.
Across KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, 21 trucks were deliberately set on fire by those who are intensifying their opposition to the presence of foreign workers in the freight industry.
In response to the crisis, President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed members of the SANDF.
After a period of confusion, the police managed to apprehend five suspects.
Among them was the individual believed to be captured in a video igniting a truck.
The suspects are expected to face charges related to malicious damage to property.
Although attacks on the freight sector have been ongoing for several years, the inability of law enforcement agencies to effectively monitor the country’s highways raises concerns about the economy.
The failure of the national intelligence agency to gather valuable information about potential attacks is a worrisome issue.
Once again, the state’s incapacity to control the chaos on our highways demonstrates that the police have not learned from the unrest in July 2021.
Consequently, as citizens we remain as vulnerable as we were two years ago.
The state’s repeated failures to learn from past events has proven to be a significant disappointment.
As a nation, we cannot remain silent every time a security threat arises, resorting to deploying the army instead of utilising the security agencies responsible for domestic policing.
It is imperative for Police Minister Bheki Cele to address these issues promptly rather than neglecting his duties.
The police service should receive training on how to effectively combat these types of crimes, as failure to do so will continue to leave citizens defenceless against dangerous criminals.
Cape Times