Truck drivers face hardship in long queues

Truck drivers have spoken of the challenges they face waiting for days in long queues to enter the Port of Richards Bay.

The Mercury visited Richards Bay on Tuesday after Transnet Port Terminals announced that it was suspending the processing of trucks carrying coal, to restore order after unprecedented traffic on the N2, John Ross Highway and surrounding roads coming into the port.

This came after the City of uMhlathuze threatened legal action against Transnet over what it said was the failure to address truck congestion.

Transnet said they would engage the City regarding the matter.

Truck drivers, who did not want to give their full names as they were not authorised to speak by their companies, said they were faced with trying circumstances, including sleeping in their vehicles on the road.

One of them, Vincent, said he did not know what was causing the delay.

“I just know that we have to wait days to enter the port. I have to sleep in my truck. There are no toilets, no food and we also face the risk of being attacked. This is an ongoing situation, we don’t know when it’s going to end.”

Another truck driver, Sipho, said even at the port, one had to wait for a permit for goods to be processed.

“It’s ridiculous to have to sleep in your truck for days just to get to the port.

When we finally get to the port you need a permit and that process can also take two days so you will find yourself waiting at the port.”

Jitesh Neerpath, director of Jetrans Transport, said the business had been hit hard by the truck congestion.

“There are queues and queues of trucks and our drivers are stuck for days.

It affects our offloading and our turnaround time and in the end our business is being severely affected. The Port of Richards Bay is the bulk terminal so it’s a major issue if we have to wait for days to get to the port.”

Nkosenye Zulu, City of uMhlathuze city manager, said legal action was being considered against Transnet due to the severe road congestion.

“This situation has been going on for almost two years. The port sustained a setback when it lost some conveyor belts due to fire in 2021. It’s one of the reasons for the spike in truck congestion to the port. On a daily basis, day and night, the City’s traffic officers have to stage trucks on the N2.

“The City has publicised the financial burden it endures due to the deployment of traffic officers who manage thousands of heavy vehicles.”

Zulu added that Transnet also failed to consistently liaise with traffic officers regarding a prearranged requisite number of trucks.

“This and other capacity-related mishaps are attributed to the port’s incapacity to deal with such a high volume of trucks due to limited space within the port itself. The City has thus instructed attorneys to initiate a litigious process against Transnet.”

Zulu said the City welcomed a request for a meeting by the national office of Transnet.

Transnet said they and other stakeholders would be holding an emergency meeting on solutions to the ongoing problem of road congestion.

KZN Department of Transport spokesperson Kwanele Ncalane said its officers from Empangeni were working on the truck issue.

“They are working jointly with the municipal traffic. There is also a joint committee with the department, the City of uMhlathuze and Richards Bay port and other stakeholders. This requires joint efforts, however, all stakeholders are working very hard to find a mitigating mechanism to the challenge.”

The Mercury