KwaZulu-Natal Prime Minister Nomosa Dube Ncube with fellow Executive Council members.
- KwaZulu-Natal Chief Minister Nomosa Dube-Ncube said there have been 107 criminal cases involving truck arson since 2018.
- And called for special courts to hear some cases.
- She said that nine of the 12 people of interest from last week’s events are from KZN.
KwaZulu-Natal Chief Minister Nomosa Dube-Ncube said Thursday that there have been 107 criminal cases of truck arson being investigated by the police since 2018.
It said the regional executive had received a comprehensive report on the work being done on the ground, including investigations, deployment of law enforcement agencies and intelligence gathering.
Nine trucks have been burned so far in the KZN region and 10 in other regions in just four days.
Police Minister Biki Seeley said the 12 people of concern were part of four coordinated groups in KZN and Mpumalanga. Since then three have been arrested in Mpumalanga.
The prime minister called for the establishment of special courts to deal with some truck-related criminal cases.
“We should set up special courts to deal with some of these cases. Not prosecuting these cases and the time delay is not good. We want to see justice.”
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She said the joint security group would ask the Justice Department to create special courts to deal with truck arson.
The crimes were described as “economic sabotage”.
Dube-Ncube encouraged Seely to identify the group of 12, saying she hoped for imminent arrests.
“We firmly believe that the sooner the police make arrests, the clearer the message will be to all those who want to cause chaos, that such a thing has no place in our county,” he added.
DUBE-NCUBE’s flagship program to update citizens on relevant developments after the Regional Executive Council meeting https://t.co/OFMM9y6YZi
– KZN Provincial Gov (kzngov) July 13, 2023
She said the provincial executive will ensure that a special team is set up from the police organized crime unit to investigate the cases.
Dube-Ncube added that the security group will ensure that the persons concerned are taken for questioning.
Investigations are ongoing to identify further instigators of the violence.
It said community structures on main roads around the county had been activated “to assist intelligence structures with basic information and early detection”.
“Going forward, the government will work with all role players through the Interministerial Task Force to deal with the challenges facing the trucking industry. While doing so, criminal acts must be dealt with and perpetrators must be caught.”
She said if there are real concerns in the trucking sector, they need to be brought to the right platforms.
Violence cannot be the solution.