Video: Supplied
An unmasked man has been caught on camera allegedly setting a truck on fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said earlier on Wednesday that they had identified at least 12 persons of interest in the economic sabotage of burning of trucks in KZN, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces.
To date, 21 trucks have been set on fire since Sunday, with at least four trucks being burnt overnight near Ermelo, Mpumalanga.
“Whether it is economic sabotage, labour or service delivery related disputes, police are closing in on those who choose to use violence and intimidation for whatever motive,” said Cele earlier on Wednesday during a media briefing held at SAPS Tshwane College.
In the CCTV video an unmasked bearded man is seen in the driver’s seat of the truck.
He steers the truck, possibly in a bid to cause traffic chaos, before bringing it to a halt and pouring what appears to be a flammable substance into the truck, before he sets it on fire and quickly jumps out of the truck which is quickly engulfed in smoke and fire.
The CCTV footage is stamped July 12, 2023, with the time stamp showing the incident took place at about 5.43 am on Wednesday morning.
— Road Angels Traffic Information (@Road_Angels_SA) July 12, 2023
Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola said the police were analysing a number of videos and would use them as evidence, when asked specifically about the video during a press conference on Wednesday.
Cele said their police intelligence suggested that the attacks on trucks may be business-related, but he said they had determined that the attacks were “not just random acts of criminality”.
N2
— Road Angels Traffic Information (@Road_Angels_SA) July 12, 2023
Piet Retief/ Ermelo
4 trucks on fire. N2 will be closed for most of today between Ermelo and Piet Retief. Alternative route is via Amsterdam.
*Road Angels Traffic Info* pic.twitter.com/PIV2ahKHhx
Meanwhile, Cele has confirmed police had deployed more cops to the ground to perform highway patrols in a bid to avert further mayhem, while the SANDF has been deployed as well.
The attacks on trucks, said Cele, appeared to be acts of economic sabotage, possibly linked to tender disputes.
IOL