As part of the Transport Month’s activities, Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe led an operation which saw about 340 vehicles stopped and screened.
The operation, which was conducted by Provincial and Municipal traffic officers, South African Police Service (SAPS), Department of Home Affairs and other stakeholders took place on Thursday, 4 October 2012 at Dwaarsloop in Bushbuckridge.
Out of the 340 vehicles that were screened, 20 were discontinued and 84 summonses were issued to drivers for various traffic violations.
During the operation, five men were arrested for being illegally in the country. One of them was found in possession of dagga. A stolen car was also confiscated during the routine screening.
MEC Shongwe has commended the team saying that team work and commitment is the only recipe for success in the fight against general criminality and the reduction of road crashes.
The department has a lineup of activities planned for the Transport Month aimed at intensifying road safety awareness in order to reduce unnecessary accidents. The activities include road blocks, rest stops, speed monitoring, pedestrian campaigns and random patrols.
“By intensifying these activities, we intend to reduce accidents and clamp down on general lawlessness on our roads, so road users should comply or face the law,” said Shongwe. 690 passengers and 56 drivers were also educated on road safety during the operation.
Shongwe was happy that drivers especially public transport drivers were targeted because they have the tendency of speeding to meet their targets, hence putting the lives of their passengers and other motorists in danger.
“Passengers are also key to these operations because some of them put pressure on the drivers to drive faster in order to reach their destinations quicker. We need a buy-in from passengers to help government to encourage responsible driving.
We need to adopt passengers and drivers to become our road safety ambassadors to reduce road accidents,” concluded Shongwe.
Joseph Mabuza
Cell: 082 678 1450
Tel: 013 766 4055
