Trucking wellness programmes serving cross-border and local drivers in South Africa are not affected by the Trump administration’s cancellation of aid to the country. Trucking Wellness, an initiative of the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry (NBCRFLI), is funded by the industry, according to Gavin Kelly, chief executive officer of the Road Freight Association Previously known as Trucking Against AIDS, Trucking Wellness was launched in 1999 by the NBCRFI to create awareness around HIV and AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among long-distance truck drivers, commercial sex workers and those at risk, such as driver spouses and partners.Tertius Wessels, managing director of Trucking Wellness, told Freight News that the labour minister had promulgated a wellness levy for the road freight industry in 2003.“Due to the progressive thinking of the NBCRFLI, the industry is funding 99% of the programme. With funding from other relevant stakeholders, Trucking Wellness will not be affected by the decision by Trump.”There are currently 20 Trucking Wellness clinics on the main trucking routes, including at the Beitbridge, Komatipoort and Zeerust border areas. In 2023, a f leet of mobile clinics visited 458 sites and screened over 15 500 people, according to the latest annual report. Wellness screening includes cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure, body mass, tuberculosis, HIV and STIs. Over the same period, the roadside clinics treated over 20 000 truck drivers for STIs and distributed over 2.5 million male and female condoms.Wessels says there are expansion plans, and that sites have been identified at other border crossings and in the rest of the country.“But we need to get more partners (funders) involved to expand on the current project.“The centres look after all industry drivers as well as surrounding communities and do not discriminate against drivers and companies not belonging to the NBCRFLI, which actually places a big burden on our current funding resources.”There is, he says, a “very good” working relationship with the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG).“We make drivers aware that there is a similar programme in Namibia and have been engaging the WBCG to see if it is possible to work more closely. We are looking at integrating healthcare systems to enable data sharing/patient information.“However, this is very costly and neither of the parties can afford it at this stage.” In 2024, the WBCG opened roadside wellness clinics in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola and Zambia.The clinics are along the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor (WBSLDC) in the DRC (Kasumbalesa Border Post) and Zambia (Kasumbalesa Border Post), as well as in the DRC (Lufu Border Post) and Angola (Luvo Border Post).According to the WBCG, the expansion aims to improve access to essential health services for truck drivers, cross-border traders and local communities on the trade routes.Funding support was provided by the South African Development Community Secretariat in collaboration with the governments of the DRC, Zambia and Angola through their respective ministries of health. ER
