South African Police Service (SAPS) officers have arrested a national office bearer of the All Truck Drivers Forum South Africa (ATDF-SA) on charges of inciting violence following an incident that disrupted traffic along the N3 southbound near Bergville in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The arrest occurred after police patrols observed traffic slowing to a complete standstill along the N3. Upon investigation, officers discovered approximately ten individuals actively stopping trucks. When the suspects noticed police presence, they fled into nearby bushes, abandoning a white Isuzu bakkie with all doors left open.
Preliminary investigations established that the abandoned vehicle was registered to a prominent ATDF-SA national office bearer. Inside the bakkie, police recovered an ATDF-SA banner and several stones. While processing the scene, officers spotted a suspicious white Volkswagen Polo traveling northbound on the N3.
Police pursued the Polo and determined it had been dispatched to retrieve the owner of the abandoned Isuzu bakkie. Both occupants of the Polo—identified as truck drivers—were arrested alongside the bakkie’s owner, whom they had attempted to rescue.
Further investigation linked the bakkie’s owner to the stoning of a bus at the N3 Colenso Interchange shortly before his arrest. All three suspects are currently being processed by SAPS. Authorities indicated that additional charges may be filed pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.
Police have reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining safety and order on South Africa’s major transport routes and warned that acts of violence, intimidation, or disruption of critical infrastructure will be met with decisive law enforcement action.
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