At least five trucks were set alight on the N4 in Mpumalanga, the SA Police Service in the province said on Monday.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the incident happened on Sunday evening, near the Waterval Boven Tunnel on the N4.
“Currently, we do not know the motive for that, for setting alight those particular trucks,” said Mohlala.
“Information at our disposal is that two vehicles – one was a Toyota Hilux bakkie and a sedan – they stopped those particular trucks just before the Waterval Boven Tunnel and they set them alight without telling the drivers exactly what was the motive behind that,” he said.
“We are told that they (the assailants) instructed the truck drivers to take out their IDs and leave those particular trucks. We are continuing with our investigations as the police.”
No one had been arrested by Monday morning.
Over the weekend, traffic was brought to a standstill on the N3 highway, linking Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, near Van Reenen, following the torching of six trucks on Sunday morning.
It is still not clear what the cause of the arson was.
According to FleetWatch Magazine, this could be a deliberate attack against truck drivers, with reports that north-bound traffic heading to Johannesburg has been stopped at Tugela Plaza, while south-bound traffic heading to Durban was packed at the top of Van Reenen's Pass.
The arson attacks are happening at a time when South Africa marks the second anniversary of the July 2021 unrest.
The widespread violence was characterised by vandalism, looting and violence, which left more than 350 people dead.
IOL