Durban — Sixteen people, including the owner of a Pinetown tyre fitment centre, his wife as well as his son and taxi drivers, are expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of theft and vehicle hijacking.
Pinetown police caught them with stolen tyres at the tyre fitment centre on Roger Sishi Road in New Germany on Sunday.
Police received reports of a truck that was reportedly stolen in Umbilo on Saturday afternoon.
The truck was recovered within an hour in Springfield, but it was empty.
Police said the hijacked truck made a stop at the tyre fitment centre to offload the tyres before it was abandoned in Springfield.
An off-duty police officer was also arrested after he was found at the crime scene, and his presence inside the premises is being investigated by SAPS members. His vehicle was impounded for further investigations.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said when SAPS members went to the scene, some of the suspects tried to escape, while others were inside the tyre fitment centre. This comes after a spate of truck torchings that have engulfed KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the torchings, saying they pose a great threat to the economy of the country and the region at large.
He said there were growing concerns about the burning of trucks, totalling 16 in a week.
Ramaphosa said the torchings seemed to be economic sabotage.
“I am concerned about these activities that take place that have a negative impact on our economy, and it’s almost like an economic sabotage because burning six trucks on the main artery of our country, in terms of the economy, is concerning,” he said.
Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association, said the most important thing about this was that it had been ongoing for the past six years, if not longer.
He said the question was who was behind this.
“Is it the same group who bemoaned the employment of foreign nationals as drivers in the sector?
“If it is them, why did they resort to violence once again? Why have they made people afraid to use the national roads? Even the outside markets will think twice before using South Africa as a route,” he said.
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