Agri SA has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to quickly deploy soldiers to protect main roads, especially in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, amid truck attacks.
At least 21 trucks were set on fire in Mpumalanga, KZN and Limpopo in four days.
The agricultural organization said the attacks formed Threats to lives, is a direct assault on South Africa’s terrible economy and a major threat to food security.
She said the attacks exacerbate a general logistical crisis farmers were already dealing with, caused by a failing railway network, crumbling rural roads and crowded ports.
The head of Agri SA, Jaco Menard, said the country could not afford to cede vital export earnings to uncontrolled criminal activity.
He said, “Criminal Intelligence should also be tasked with investigating those behind these attacks, and the perpetrators should be charged and brought to trial.”
Agri SA wants to protect the main routes connecting export ports to major markets and has considered it necessary to protect truck drivers and protect the valuable goods they transport, which includes food.