New law to prevent foreign truckers from operating without valid licence
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says a proposed new law preventing foreign nationals from operating in the country without a South African driver’s licenses is currently before Parliament.
Mbalula says this new law will require foreign nationals to have a valid South African driver’s license.
“Once these regulations come into effect, a foreign national will not be permitted to drive a South African registered truck, using a foreign professional driving permit. The regulations are before parliament, and we anticipate that they will be published by end of November 2021.”
This week, hundreds of truck drivers blocked several of the country’s national roads.
They believe foreign nationals are being prioritised for work in the country.
Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said the department is trying to crack down on employers who install unfair labour practices by paying foreign nationals wages that are below average.
“This practice that you are talking about is very rife, that is why I was saying in misstatement that this employment of foreign nationals is distorting the labour market in a sense that you have minimum wages, and you have the various laws in this particular country that must be respected.
“But unfortunately, these employees they employ foreign nationals not because they love them they employ them in order to undermine the labour standards. They employ them because they are very desperate.”
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