The authorities have condemned a hijacking and shooting that left a truck driver and his conductor in a critical condition in Durban on Tuesday.

Paramedic services tendered to the driver and his partner just after 10:30 on the N2 North bound just after the M1 Higginson Highway, before the M7 interchange.

"On arrival, we found that a truck driver and his conductor had sustained serious injuries," Rescue Care spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said.

One of the men had sustained a gunshot wound to the head, while the other one was shot in the stomach.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala's said it was important to allow the police to investigate the matter.

"We condemn any criminal activity, including this. Let's allow the police to investigate."

Department of Transport spokesperson Mluleki Mntungwa echoed Zikalala's sentiments.

"We condemn any violence. The police must be allowed to investigate the matter before we can say what the cause of this is."

Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said they were investigating charges of attempted murder and carjacking.

"They were taken to hospital for medical attention. The circumstances surrounding the incident are still being investigated."

Gwala could not immediately confirm if the incident was linked to ongoing violence in the trucking sector in KZN.

During a high-level press briefing on Monday, journalists heard that more than 60 trucks had been torched in three weeks, with Minister of Police Bheki Cele adding that 17 were torched over the past weekend alone.

Cele said 91 people had been arrested over a three-week period, adding that there was little in the way of prosecutions.

He added that while many people were arrested, they were only charged with traffic offences, saying he would work with the justice cluster to enforce harsher punishments.