News / Hijacks, riots and rising costs – road freight in South Africa is 'on its knees'

A technical recession with a third-quarter GDP drop of 2%, and lockdown restrictions passing the 100-day mark, have hit South Africa’s already pressured freight forwarding market

The sector is gripped by cross-border truck congestion, increasing cargo hijacks, riots and protests, mounting storage and demurrage costs on imports and slower freight clearance.

Last month, the South African Association of Freight Forwarders estimated that local importers were facing around ZAR1.4bn ($85m) in storage and demurrage costs accumulated during level-5 lockdown, with more than 20 000 ...