Address by the Minister of Transport, Mr Joe Maswanganyi, on the occasion of the passing-out parade of the Mpumalanga Traffic Officers at the Mkhuhlu-Bushbuckridge Training College, Mpumalanga
MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mr Pat Ngomane
The Head of the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety
RTMC CEO, Advocate Makhosini Msibi
Traffic Chiefs
Ladies and gentlemen
I am delighted to be joining you today, during the month that we observe the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign which will be observed until the 10th December 2017. This year, the campaign is held under the theme “Count Me In: Together Moving a Non-Violent South Africa Forward”.
Today as the transport sector, we are equally presented with the opportunity to join all South Africans to condemn acts of violence, sexual assaults, intimidation and abuse against women and children. This is not only barbaric but criminal. All perpetrators of this violence must be arrested indiscriminately.
We cannot allow such cruelty to be mooted against women and children or any member of the society. United in one voice, we must condemn such acts and say: #356 Days of Activism Campaign and #CountMeIn.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are equally meeting two days after the launch of our festive season road safety campaign at Bela Bela in Limpopo.
In a few days, many employed citizens of our country will be receiving their pay bonuses and this will undoubtedly set off a chain reaction of alcohol drinking spree that will lead to the loss of lives on our roads.
This includes the voluminous scheduled travel for leisure and attendance of religious pilgrimages which as well have the capacity to increase road carnages.
The coming weekend leading to December 16 and the extended Christmas long weekend as well as the New Year’s Day long week will be particularly challenging and taxing our traffic law enforcement officers.
As law enforcement officer, we have the hopes on our nation. Our nation relies on us to ensure that we decrease the calamity which is caused by the death and injuries on our roads.
Our primary objective as traffic law enforcers is to save lives, prevent injuries and accidents and facilitate the free flow of traffic.
It is a universally accepted fact that noticeable patrol of freeways, streets and public places by uniformed officers in clearly marked vehicles is the best means available for the prevention of road traffic violations.
Therefore, I would like to make a clarion call that let us get back to basics and direct our efforts at high risk violations, occurring at certain times and places that lead to an increased number of accidents.
Our careful analysis of festive season road crashes over the past three years confirms without any shadow of doubt that road accidents spike over the weekends (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) between 15H00 and Mid-night and again in the mornings between 04H00 and 07H00.
The situation becomes worse if there are long weekends, as is the case this year. There’s increased alcohol consumption leading to reckless and negligent driving, flagrant disregard of road rules and an increase in road crashes, fatalities and injuries.
This clearly shows that the common practice of hiding officers or vehicles to apprehend traffic offenders is counter-productive and antagonises citizens that are normally law-abiding. The challenging situation we are faced with calls upon us to make a fundamental shift and start doing differently this year.
That radical shift will be achieved by ensuring that traffic officers come out of the bushes and crack down on drunken driving as a leading contributor to traffic violations that lead to unnecessary crashes and fatalities.
Ladies and gentlemen, today’s graduation is therefore a confirmation of our government’s commitment to empower young people of our country with education, skills and knowledge they need to development themselves and contribute to the growth of our nation.
We therefore join fathers, mothers, brothers, sister, uncles and cousins who have gathered here in cheering the young people who have successfully completed their training as traffic officers.
The months you have spent here have not been easy but they have been rewarding. It is my sincerest hope that you will use the skills you have acquired to uplift your families, contribute to the development of your communities and assist us to reduce scourge of road crashes and fatalities.
From today the nation will be looking upon you to assist the government to realise the commitment it has made to reduce road fatalities by 50% by 2020.
You have been provided with the necessary skills and expertise to make a difference in the lives of our community, do not disappoint them.
We fully understand that the environment we are sending you into is full of temptations and dangers. There are sharks out there waiting to tempt you into corruption.
I call upon you to resist the temptation to take bribes and to implement the law without fear, favour or prejudice.
Always remember that the embarrassment of being caught in corruption will not be borne by you alone. This embarrassment will extend to your families, children and the entire government.
We have also noted with deep concern the increasing number of unwarranted attacks on our traffic law enforcement officers.
Every week there are reports of a traffic officer who is run over by some rogue who refuses to obey the rules of the road. Our courts must deal harshly with the people who attack our officers for doing their work. An attack on law enforcement officers is an attack on the State.
Communities must therefore come to the defence of our law enforcement officers and assist us in sending out a clear message that traffic officers are also human and deserve respect and protection to do their work without hindrance.
The government is prepared to continue investing in the skills and development of our traffic officers. We now have introduced a new qualification for traffic officers which is equivalent to a National Diploma or National Qualification Framework level 6.
We want our officers to be skilled in all competences of traffic law enforcement and we will be re-organizing our training colleges to offer specialized training to equip our officers with all the skills required from an officer in the 21st century.
Going forward, in order to harmonize our traffic law enforcement fraternity, we have decided to introduce a single and identical uniform for the sector in all provinces. Traffic and law enforcement vehicles will also bear a single identical brand in all provinces.
Our vision seeks to build an integrated, effective and efficient traffic law enforcement sector that works in a unified manner to make our roads safer.
Ladies and gentlemen, safety on the roads is not negotiable. The whole nation is concerned about the levels of lawlessness that lead to crashes and fatalities on our roads. Let’s go out and make a difference. Congratulation to the 161 class of 2017.
Let me remind you that the diploma you have attained today is only a first step in the long journey of personal development. Always remember where you came from, don’t be aloof, remain humble and make your contribution in the national effort to eradicate poverty and inequality.
Always bear in mind that Nelson Mandela taught us that: “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”
I thank you.
