Press Releases

Impact of Attacks on Trucks on Van Reenen’s Pass (KZN): 08 July 2023

Published

3 years ago

July 9, 2023

The Road Freight Association (RFA) cannot accept the scenes that played out on the N3 in the early hours of 09 July 2023 as anything else but a coordinated attack on the road freight sector. Both the specific spot on the N3, as well as the timing, were chosen to cause the best outcome in terms of mayhem and disruption.

The road freight sector (trucks) carries 80% of the goods that are moved in and around South Africa, as well as for those countries that trade with international markets and use South African ports for import and export.

Those who attack the road leg of logistics supply chains need to understand that the long-term effects will bring greater destruction to employment levels, and will result in further job losses, as businesses and supporting sectors shrink and trade moves away from South Africa.

However, with regard to freight and the economy of South Africa: Without trucks, South Africa stops. As noted earlier, the scene that played out on the N3 at Van Reenen’s Pass in the early hours of 09 July 2023 was a ruthless attack on the road freight supply chain – and the effects (economic, business confidence, security, law and order and corridor movement) are far reaching.

Whilst the immediate short-term losses will run into millions of Rands (including cost of vehicles, cargo, personal effects, road damage, EMS response, delays in movement and shipping penalties), the long-term impact will be felt in terms of increased security costs into the cost of logistics, higher insurance premiums, higher SARIA cover premiums, higher toll fees, less freight movement through South Africa, closure of freight companies, loss of jobs: the list continues.

Depending on the category of vehicle, the type and value of cargo, the specialised equipment required for the cargo: this can be anywhere between R3 to R10-million. A simple calculation of capital losses (assets and cargoes) of the six trucks destroyed to date amounts to anything between R18 to R60 million;
The cost of loss of income through businesses closing is far greater: If any of the trucks belonged to a small business – it will have lost its only truck, or trucks: This means loss of earnings / revenue for the business, loss of salaries paid to staff who would no longer have jobs (due to business shutdown), loss of revenue through the services and support the business uses (eg. fuel, storage, maintenance, tolls, staff requirements, licencing, etc);
Potential closure of businesses means less transporters available to perform work. Some companies might feel the industry is not a safe / secure environment and so their owners could decide to simply close their business;
Freight travelling through South African ports (especially the Port of Durban and along the corridor that has been targeted): cargo owners / customers will choose to move cargo through neighbouring countries. This has already been happening as South African ports become inefficient and the surrounding ports develop, improve and drive efficiencies up. South Africa’s “Gateway to Africa” status has been lost and these attacks will further cement the move of transit freight from South Africa to neighbouring countries. Port revenues will drop, as will income through all support and related freight logistics users;
7 000 container deliveries are done through the South African ports per day (Port of Durban does roughly 4 000 containers a day). Any delay along the N3 (- here the majority of containerised freight is destined to the Port – will result in backlogs / delays for imports and exports;
Depending on the configurations of the vehicles, delays in moving (for trucks) costs the transporter between R5 000 and R7 500 a day (rough estimate of loss of revenue to the 7 000 odd vehicles from various destinations who would be affected for one day delay at various points of entry, and along the N3 corridor) would be around is R35 million – this is the broad road freight sector impact.

The cost to communities where jobs will be lost (those that provide various services to the trucks that travel the routes through South Africa and the rest of the Continent, are not factored in). That figure will increase as freight moves away from South African ports to neighbouring countries.
The N3 is probably the busiest corridor in South Africa, carrying far higher volumes of traffic (freight, passenger and light motor vehicles for commercial, tourism and private use) than any other corridor.

Once again, the cost to the South African economy, taking all the above into consideration, will run into Billions of Rand lost, as business confidence from foreign investors plummets, and those who use South Africa as a transit hub, turn away from us and move to other countries that are SAFER and more efficient.

However, the more important questions to be answered are: Who is behind this attack, and why. There was no looting of vehicles (therefore not cargo theft in intent), and thankfully none of the drivers or staff on the vehicles were injured or killed.

The targeted precision of the attack is worrying. This was well planned and efficiently implemented. At this point, no group has acknowledged that they are responsible.

If this is the same grouping that has been behind such attacks across the country over the past six years, then action needs to be taken against those who promote, plan and implement such criminal actions. We have heard the Minister of Police refer to economic sabotage and many other forms of description, but it would seem that this behaviour continues unabated.

If this is, indeed, the work of the All Truck Drivers Foundation (ATDF-SA) and its counterparts relating to the employment of illegal foreigners in the road freight (or any other) sector, then the responsible Department of Employment and Labour, and its inspection structures, must ensure that their responsibility to protect employees and employers from non-compliant labour practices is strictly and swiftly applied.

Whilst the Road Freight Association (RFA) is currently unaware of which companies were targeted and attacked (and whether this was a random choice of trucks or an actual specific set of transporters), it is always those who are compliant and innocent of the complaints or issues raised by others, that get caught up in these activities, and ultimately pay the price of closed businesses and severe cost increases to operations.

Logistics

Africa’s Cold Chain To Fortify Industry’s Shared Voice at Key Event Next Week

Published

3 hours ago

August 25, 2026

SCN Africa

Africa’s temperature-controlled logistics leaders will strengthen the industry’s shared voice when they gather at the GCCA (Global Cold Chain Alliance) Africa Cold Chain Conference at the Fairway Hotel Resort in Johannesburg, South Africa on September 2-3 2026.

The annual GCCA event is a keenly anticipated feature of the continent’s logistics calendar. It is unique in bringing together third party logistics providers with supply chain partners, customers, politicians and other key stakeholders to address pressing challenges and to discover new opportunities in temperature-controlled logistics.

Conference delegates will join GCCA President & CEO Sara Stickler and GCCA Africa Chairman Dr Newton Matope (CEO of Cold Solutions Kenya) to steer discussions in line with the conference theme, “It’s Time for Dialogue”.

GCCA President & CEO Sara Stickler says: “As Africa’s cold chain navigates ongoing regional and global uncertainty, opportunities to share insights and form new relationships at this year’s GCCA Africa Cold Chain conference are invaluable. So too is the industry’s shared voice, empowering cold chain businesses to help shape Africa’s future at a time when supply chain logistics are evolving in response to regional needs and global change.

“GCCA’s work in Africa has built a new foundation for finding solutions to shared temperature-controlled logistics challenges, for collaborating to access new opportunities, and for advocating for the industry’s needs with governments and key stakeholders. This all starts with two-way dialogue and we look forward to fortifying the shared voice of Africa’s cold chain at the GCCA Africa Cold Chain Conference 2026.”

GCCA will welcome Mohammed Mahomedy, Head of Infrastructure and Rail for Africa at DP World, as the conference’s keynote speaker. He will take to the conference main stage on September 3 to share insights into DP World’s approach to integrated logistics at scale, in practice.

Main stage sessions and panel discussions will be delivered throughout the conference by a high quality rostrum of renowned experts including:

Chris Hattingh, Executive Director, CRA (Centre for Risk Analysis) onthe business trading climate in Africa and the role of geopolitics
Dr. Martin Cameron, Managing Director, Trade Research Advisory (Pty) Ltd on how trade policy meets reality
Dr. Juanita Maree, CEO, SAAFF (Southern African Association of Freight Forwarders) discussing freight forwarding in a new era of dialogue
Dr Ikechukwu Opara of the University of the Western Cape exploring sustainable food systems
Cassandra Potteiger, Head of Strategy, Marketing and Communication at SA Harvest on people and partnerships.

Find out more and register to attend at www.gcca.org/events/gcca-african-cold-chain-conference/.

Logistics

Uber Eats vs SPAR2U: The Ordering Experience

Published

1 day ago

August 24, 2026

SCN Africa

We placed two identical orders one minute apart through the SPAR2U app and Uber Eats app to compare the purchase experiences. Using the same SPAR store (SUPERSPAR Sunninghill), basket and delivery location, we compared everything from the final price to live updates, fulfilment and delivery times to see how each platform performed.

App Testing: The Order and Price

To keep the test as fair as possible, we made sure that none of the ordered items were on special – in order to keep the comparison in price as close as possible.

The basket contained a mix of everyday household and baking essentials:

Items	SPAR2U	Uber Eats	Substitutes
Brown Bread	R16.59	R23.00
Butter 500g	R99.99		Butter 250g: R144.40
Peppermint Crisp	R61.99	R68.00
Heavy Cream	R59.99	R68.99
Tennis Biscuits x2	R59.98	R69.00
Caramel	R46.99		Condensed milk: R49.80
Dish Washing Liquid 750ml	R39.99		Dish washing liquid refill 750ml: R37.00
Dog Treats	R29.99	R34.50
Total:	R415.51	R494.69
Service Fee		R15.90
Driver Tip	R10.00	R10.00
Delivery Fee	R37.00	R25.00
Total Purchase Order:	R462.51	545.59

Final Price: Uber Eats vs SPAR2U

The SPAR2U order came to R462.51 and the Uber Eats order cost R545.59. This left us with a difference of R83.08, making the Uber Eats order 18% more expensive than the SPAR2U order.

Real-Time Updates and Communication

After placing both orders, the apps provided live updates throughout the shopping and delivery process; from when the shopping started through to the final delivery time and driver tracking.

SPAR2U sent shopping updates and updated invoices showing the items being picked, packed, and eventually dispatched via email. On the other hand, Uber Eats sent push notifications to keep us updated on the progress of the order.

Both apps kept us in the loop throughout the shopping experience.

Delivery Times

With both orders placed, we began tracking the progress of the deliveries.

The following times were recorded:

Stage	SPAR2U	Uber Eats
Order time	09:30	09:31
Time the shopper started	10:06	09:33
Time the shop was completed	10:13	09:45
Time order was dispatched	10:30	09:54
Delivery time	10:50	10:07

Both orders were placed practically at the same time, just one minute apart, but Uber Eats started shopping way faster – their shopper started picking items just two minutes after the 09:31 order went through. SPAR2U took 36 minutes just to get started at 10:06.

Interestingly, SPAR2U was actually faster once they were in the aisles, taking only seven minutes to finish shopping compared to Uber’s 12 minutes.

The real gap opened up during dispatch and delivery, though. Uber Eats had the items out the door nine minutes after picking (09:54) and delivered them in 13 minutes flat at 10:07. SPAR2U sat waiting 17 minutes for dispatch, followed by a 20-minute drive.

All in all, Uber Eats crushed it: total time was 36 minutes end-to-end, while SPAR2U took 80 minutes. Uber beat SPAR2U to the doorstep by 44 minutes.

Final Time Comparison: SPAR2U vs Uber Eats

Overall, Uber Eats completed the order-to-door process in 55% less time than SPAR2U.

Order Fulfilment

When both deliveries arrived, we unpacked everything and compared the orders with our shopping list. The SPAR2U order was completed to a T, with all eight items delivered as ordered.

The Uber Eats order was a little different. We specifically ordered the same 500g butter from both apps, yet the Uber Eats order arrived with a 250g pack from a different brand instead and was more expensive. The same happened with the 750ml dishwashing liquid, which was suitably substituted with a 750ml refill bag.

Finally, the caramel, which wasn’t available on the Uber Eats app, was replaced with condensed milk.

SPAR2U Order

Uber Eats Order

Usually, the Uber Eats shopper is meant to contact you before making a substitution or replacement, but for this order they did not do so. So we only saw the replacements when the order arrived.

Our Final Take

Now that the groceries have been unpacked, here’s what we took away.

1. Shopping Time

The first big difference was how long it took for each order to get moving. The Uber Eats shopper started picking the order just two minutes after it was placed while the SPAR2U shopper only started 36 minutes later.

Interestingly, once shopping began, SPAR2U had the edge. The shopper completed the SPAR2U order in 7 minutes, compared with 12 minutes for Uber Eats.

2. Order Completion Time

The biggest difference came down to the overall delivery time. The Uber Eats order arrived 36 minutes after it was placed, while the SPAR2U order took 80 minutes to reach the door, but was still delivered within the allocated time 10–11 a.m. time slot.

The Uber Eats order arrived 44 minutes before the SPAR2U order.

3. Speed Isn’t Everything

Getting your groceries to the door quickly is great, but it’s not the only thing that matters. Price, product availability, substitutions, and updates from the app and shopper all play a massive role in the overall experience.

The Verdict Is In: Which Ordering Experience is Better?

After testing both ordering experiences, the choice of which delivery app to use for your next order ultimately comes down to your personal preference.

If speed is your priority, Uber Eats takes the cake for a quick and convenient shopping and delivery experience.

Or, if you are a bit more savvy about specials, price, promotions and combo deals, SPAR2U is your go-to platform.

What the test did show us is that the ordering experience is about much more than getting groceries to your door. From finding products and spotting promotions to watching an order move from confirmed to shopping to dispatched and finally delivered, every step contributes to the experience.

SPAR2U delivery bag delivered to your front door: bag lying in front of a wooden door.

Logistics

Third CILT Regional Conference to Explore Transport, Trade and Mobility Priorities at Automechanika Johannesburg

Published

4 days ago

August 21, 2026

SCN Africa

CILTSA Automechanika Johannesburg for its Regional Conference 2026 event poster

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) will bring leaders from Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe together at Automechanika Johannesburg for its Regional Conference 2026, taking place at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on 28 and 29 October 2026.

Held under the theme ‘Driving Innovation, Bridging Borders for an African Future’, the conference will examine how transport, logistics and automotive ecosystems can support connected economies across the continent. The programme places collaboration at the centre of discussions on trade corridors, harmonised systems, safety, skills and the changing mobility landscape.

Elvin Harris, President of CILT South Africa, presenting at a CILTSA conference.

Elvin Harris: President – CILT South Africa

Elvin Harris, President of CILT South Africa, says the conference offers a meeting point for sectors whose success increasingly depends on coordinated action. “Transport and logistics connect every part of the economy. This gathering will create space for discussion on the infrastructure, standards, technology and people needed to move goods and opportunities efficiently across the region.”

Connecting Corridors and Enabling Trade

A central conference focus will be the future of Africa’s strategic road and rail corridors. Delegates will explore ways to reduce border delays and non-tariff barriers, strengthen one-stop border posts, and improve links between ports, dry ports and inland terminals.

Discussions will also consider investment approaches for corridor infrastructure, including public-private partnerships and blended finance, alongside the relationship between transport networks, the African Continental Free Trade Area and regional industrialisation.

Head shot of Dr. Tapiwa Mujakachi, President of CILT Zimbabwe.

Dr. Tapiwa Mujakachi: President – CILT Zimbabwe

Dr Tapiwa Mujakachi, President of CILT Zimbabwe, states that efficient cross-border systems are essential to prosperity. “Regional trade depends on reliable routes, predictable processes and a commitment to solving operational challenges. The conference will bring attention to the work required to make corridors serve businesses, communities and national development priorities.”

The agenda will further address harmonisation across borders, including vehicle standards, roadworthiness, weights and dimensions, customs documentation, permits and professional qualifications. Delegates will consider the development of common regulatory frameworks for new vehicle technologies, as well as the importance of aligning systems across regional economic communities.

Innovation, Safety and the Workforce of the Future

The conference will also examine the safety and security of people, cargo and freight corridors. Key themes include reducing road fatalities, promoting driver wellbeing on long-haul routes, countering cargo crime, strengthening fleet compliance, and using technology for tracking, monitoring and incident response. Cooperation among operators, regulators and law-enforcement agencies will feature as a foundation for safer regional supply chains.

Conversations will cover electric and new-energy vehicles, supporting infrastructure, local manufacturing opportunities, digital freight and last-mile platforms, smart logistics, data and artificial intelligence. Attention will also be given to policy support, funding and incubation for start-ups and small enterprises, together with the role of special economic zones in automotive and component innovation.

Portrait of Prisca Mayumbelo, President of CILT Namibia.

Dr. Tapiwa Mujakachi: President – CILT Zimbabwe

Prisca Mayumbelo, President of CILT Namibia, says the programme recognises regional opportunities. “Africa’s mobility future will be shaped by innovation that is relevant to local conditions and supported by capable institutions. Sharing experience across countries can help turn promising ideas into practical improvements for industry and society.”

Education, training and skills development will complete the programme’s core themes. Sessions will consider new-energy vehicle and digital logistics careers, technical and vocational pathways, industry-academia partnerships, work-integrated learning and professional development. The agenda will also highlight approaches to attracting young people and women into transport, logistics and automotive careers, while addressing funding for scarce-skills training.

Formal conference sessions will be followed each day by opportunities for delegates to visit the Automechanika expo floor and engage with exhibitors. CILT expects the event to encourage durable regional relationships and help shape solutions that support an African future built on connected African systems.

More information can be found at: https://www.ciltsa.events/cilt-conference-at-automechanika-johannesburg/