BY PHESHEYA IAN KUNENE
MATSAPHA – Engines roared, cameras clicked, and history was made at Southern Star Logistics today when women stepped into trucks not as passengers, but as future drivers.
The launch of the TruckHer Campaign was more than a ceremony, it was a cultural reset. At the SSL yard in Matsapha, rows of gleaming trucks stood ready, while excited trainees in reflective vests climbed into cabs for their very first feel of the road.
The atmosphere was charged. Applause broke out as Business Eswatini CEO, E. Nathi Dlamini, declared that “TruckHer is a movement”, a rallying cry that drew nods and ululations from the crowd.
When Nicolaas De Waal, SSL’s Managing Director, announced that 50 women would be trained in the coming years, the group of 10 recruits could not hide their joy.
“We are ready for the challenge,” one trainee said, smiling from the driver’s seat of a massive freight truck.
For many, the highlight of the day was Gugu Dlamini, the 17-year veteran driver with a spotless safety record. As she stood proudly in front of colleagues and cameras, she reminded the audience that trucks were not just for men.
“I have never had an accident in 17 years. Women can do this, and I want more to join me on the road,” she said.
There was poetry in the way HR and Training Officer Nokuphila Mthethwa told the story of the campaign’s journey, more than 50 applicants, rigorous testing, and the resilience of women who refused to take “no” for an answer.
Adding to the moment, Candy Stromvig painted an image of a future where women dominate not just classrooms but highways.
“Imagine a road from Matsapha to Durban with women driving the trucks. This is not charity, it’s smart business,” she told the audience.
The campaign also drew support from oil companies Galp, Puma, and Total Energies, who praised the initiative for redefining logistics.
But the loudest voices were those of the women themselves, their laughter as they climbed into trucks, their determination as they strapped on safety belts, and their quiet pride in knowing that this day was about them.
As one recruit summed it up: “We are not here to prove a point, we are here to take our place.”
