South African Truckers Protest
In an attempt to persuade their government to get rid of foreign truck drivers, South African truck drivers have organized a nationwide protest by blocking major routes and ports. Come read our blog to learn more.
South African truck drivers have launched a nationwide protest by blocking major highways and ports at the end of October. The demonstrations took place on the N3 connecting Durban to Gauteng and the N10 near Middelburg, along with the port in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, among other areas.
The protest is an attempt by the South African truck drivers to force their government to get rid of foreign truck drivers. The demands of the truckers are simple and yet complex. It involves local and regional factors that have been festering for quite some time now.
The Issue with Foreign Truck Drivers
The South African economy isn't growing fast enough. It is facing deindustrialization, anemic growth, and a skeptical investor environment. The unemployment rate in South Africa is 34.4%, the highest in its history. If the definition is widened to include those discouraged from work, the rate becomes 44.4%. So when so many South Africans can't find jobs, foreigners become a target.
The said foreigners are trying to escape their own hardships. Most of them come from neighboring countries with economies in the doldrums, such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, and Lesotho. So many Africans are escaping their homes for greener pastures in South Africa, Africa's second-largest economy.
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South Africa not only has a more robust economy than its neighbors but a very active labor union, meaning foreign workers can find working conditions that are often better than what they can find back home. Their presence not only brings in competition for jobs but results in lower wages.
Freight companies are feeling the squeeze from economic conditions and the effects of the pandemic. Container prices have skyrocketed, and ports are experiencing delays, resulting in higher wages for truckers who drive at night. To reduce costs, many freight companies are using the influx of desperate immigrants as sources for cheap labor.
The Government Promises Stricter Regulations
The truckers were granted an audience with Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula as a result of the strikes. Following the meeting, they agreed that the government will develop legislation restricting immigrants from driving South African trucks and regulating their entry into the country. But, according to Sifiso Nyathi, secretary-general of the All Truck Drivers' Foundation (ATDF), the deal was pointless and only involved a few drivers.
Trucker strikes are nothing new; without a resolution, more will come. The ANC government recently lost local elections, posting its poorest results since independence. Issues regarding jobs and immigrants were a running theme that lost the ANC seats.
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