Law enforcement officers were out in full force this weekend, following Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele's instruction last Wednesday, 31 August that every bus and taxi on South Africa's roads must be stopped and checked.
Amongst those killed in road crashes this weekend were eight people who died on Saturday, 3 September when the driver of the mini-bus taxi they were travelling in lost control and hit into a tree on the N2 near Mkuze in KwaZulu-Natal.
At least 76 people were killed last month (August 2011) in eight separate crashes involving public transport vehicles (buses and mini-bus taxis) in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Mpumalanga, Western Cape, Gauteng and Eastern Cape.
In Gauteng over the weekend, officers from the National Traffic Unit, Cross Border Road Transport Agency, Gauteng Traffic Police and South African Police stopped and checked more than 2 100 vehicles, including more than 330 public transport vehicles around Pretoria.
In the Western Cape on Friday, 2 September, traffic officers were deployed in Hout Bay to pull over school buses and taxis as part of the nation-wide blitz on scholar transport and other public transport vehicles. A number of drivers did not even have drivers' licences, yet transported children to school on a daily basis.
Since Wednesday, 31 August several dangerous buses, taxis and scholar transport vehicles have been taken off the road. Traffic Officers are being dispatched to schools, taxi ranks and bus depots every day for the foreseeable future.
As part of the new National Rolling Enforcement Plan (NREP), from 1 October 2010 to 31 July 2011, 11,745,526 vehicles and drivers have been checked, 4,847,526 fines issued for various traffic offences, 17,758 drunk drivers arrested and 46 843 un-roadworthy vehicles (the majority of which are buses and taxis) discontinued from use.
"This is out of hand," Minister Ndebele said. "We want to convey condolences to the families of those killed in these road crashes, and wish the injured a speedy recovery. We have instructed law enforcement agencies to stop and check every public transport vehicle, including buses, taxis and scholar transport vehicles, across the country with immediate effect. As part of the new National Rolling Enforcement Plan, the month of September will be dedicated to public transport enforcement. The safety of commuters is paramount, and all public transport vehicles will be monitored closely by transport authorities.
"We cannot have public transport operators who are only interested in making a quick buck, no matter what. The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) must be commended for their Operation Hlokomela, through which the taxi industry themselves are monitoring their drivers and operators to ensure that they adhere to road rules. We call on the bus industry to do the same. All public transport operators must ensure that their passengers are transported safely and reliably. Basic minimum quality standards must be in place to transport passengers in a safe, efficient and reliable manner. As part of this global Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, we call upon public transport operators to take responsibility for the safety of their commuters," the Minister said.
