Cross-border supply chain operators hauling exports from South Africa into Lesotho along the Mountain Kingdom's border with the eastern Free State are warned to proceed with caution when using the R26, also known as the Maluti Road.
This has come after rocks and burning tyres obstructed the road between Ficksburg and Clocolan, possibly impeding access to important border crossings such as Caledonspoort near Fouriesburg and Maseru Bridge further south.
It follows after a member of the Transit Assist Group (Transist), responsible for fuel shipments into Lesotho, posted footage of burning objects earlier this morning.
Mike Fitzmaurice, chief executive of the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations, which administers the Transist service, said it's not sure what the cause of the protest-related activism is on the usually quiet stretch of road.
Although such community activism is often in protest against the lack of municipal service delivery, sporadic action against South Africa's failing electricity grid and resultant spells of load shedding is also becoming commonplace.
* Shortly after 4pm this afternoon (25 May), Transist reported that the situation in the eastern Free State had deteriorate:
UPDATE
Ficksburg, FS - 2023/05/25 - 13:30
*At R26 road Clocolan crossing people standing barricading with burning
Tyres.
*At entrance of location Clocolan crossing R26 +- 70 people barricading road with stones and burning tyres, they threw POP (public order police) vehicle with stones
*At Meqheleng entrance Moloto road +- 100 people throwing POP vehicles with stones roads barricaded. Rubber was used situation is very tense.
*Situation is very tense with +- 450 people throwing POP with stones.
*At Clocolan crossing R26 road +- 750 people gathered when POP approach them they throw stones towards them.
*POP is dealing with the situation few arrest were made.
*POP still monitoring the situation and SANDF withdraw after an alleged incident occurred.
Situation is tense.
Editor's note: The information used to update this report is used verbatim.
