Drivers are back behind the wheel after the highway attacks that saw 20 vehicles torched have subsided.

Although almost a week has passed without any trucks being torched, the industry is still plagued by fear and apprehension, particularly among drivers.

More than 20 trucks were hijacked and torched over four days last week, mostly in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, with their drivers threatened with violence and even death.

The incidents were an embarrassment for the South African government, which was playing host to a southern African transport and logistics conference.

In response to the attacks, the SANDF was deployed to patrol the highways and the SAPS increased its presence on targeted routes.

Police Minister Bheki Cele said last week 12 "persons of interest" had been identified, but so far only five people have been arrested in Mpumalanga and Limpopo for the torching incidents.

On Monday morning, the five accused - Nelson Khulekani Shongwe (29), Sibusiso Emmanuel Mthethwa (38), Fundile Albeta Mpondo (41), Mafika William Sibande (61), and Nkosingiphile Nkosikhona Gumede (27) - appeared in the Ermelo Magistrates' Court in Mpumalanga, covering their heads with hats.

They face charges including attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, malicious damage to property and possession of a firearm.

The attempted murder charges stem from the accusation that they allegedly assaulted and...