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Undocumented Truck Driver Arrested after Dual Crashes on the N3 near Mariannhill
A second collision turns a busy Thursday into a day of disruption on one of South Africa’s most important highways
The N3 is the kind of road that feels like a lifeline. It carries food, fuel, goods, and families between provinces. When something goes wrong on that stretch near Mariannhill, the whole region feels it.
That was the mood along the Durban-bound lane on Thursday when a pair of serious crashes brought traffic to a near standstill. Emergency teams had barely cleared the first scene when a second collision unfolded. By afternoon, an undocumented Zimbabwean truck driver had been arrested, and questions about safety and accountability were already dominating public conversation.
The morning crash that started it all
Just after eleven in the morning, ALS Paramedics were dispatched to a major incident involving a truck and trailer that failed to stop in time. In an attempt to avoid slowing traffic, the truck veered up an embankment, but its trailer overturned and came down onto a light motor vehicle and a fully loaded taxi.
The impact left eleven people with injuries ranging from moderate to severe. Paramedics stabilised the injured at the roadside before sending them to several Durban hospitals for treatment. Footage from the scene quickly made its way online, where many South Africans expressed concern about heavy vehicle safety and driver fatigue on the country’s major freight corridors.
The second crash in the backlog
A long queue of trucks built up as authorities worked at the first scene. Not long after midday, a second crash occurred in the backlog. Four trucks and a Volkswagen Polo were involved. Five more people were injured and had to be stabilised before transport to the hospital.
ALS paramedics described the scene as a near-complete obstruction of the highway. For motorists, the delays stretched for kilometres. With school holidays around the corner and freight movement already high, the timing could not have been worse.
An arrest that shifted public pressure
Once the situation was under control, the Road Traffic Inspectorate moved through the vehicles involved. It was then that officers identified one of the truck drivers as an undocumented Zimbabwean national.
He was arrested on site.
The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, responded publicly and called for the trucking company to answer for employing a driver without the required legal documents. Duma reminded the media that it is illegal for employers to hire foreign drivers without proper certification and work authorisation.
His comment added a new layer to the debate. Concerns around lawful employment, road safety, company responsibility, and border management all became part of the public conversation. Online, South Africans expressed frustration at the frequency of truck-related incidents on national routes, while others noted the pressure faced by freight companies and the drivers who keep the network moving.
Investigation underway
Both crashes are now under investigation by the Road Traffic Inspectorate and the police. Forensic teams will assess vehicle condition, driver behaviour and road factors to determine the exact causes.
For many who rely on the N3 for trade, travel, or tourism, the day served as a reminder of how quickly disruptions ripple through KwaZulu-Natal and beyond. Safety on this highway is not only a transport concern. It is an economic one.
Also read: “He Doesn’t Even Know How to Talk”: The Desperate Plea of Parents After Nigeria’s Mass School Abduction
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: Freepik
