Gauteng motorists without driver’s licences or with unroadworthy vehicles will not be allowed to continue their journeys if caught at a roadblock during Easter.
Gauteng motorists without driver’s licence or with unroadworthy vehicles will not be allowed to continue their journeys if caught at a roadblock during Easter.
Gauteng public transport, roads and works MEC Khabisi Mosunkutu launched the province’s Easter “Drive for Life” road safety operation in Johannesburg this week, according to .
Mosunkutu warned that people with no drivers’ licences and in unroadworthy vehicles would not be allowed to proceed with their journeys.
“Traffic officials will impound unroadworthy vehicles and unlicensed drivers will be fined and have to ask a licensed person to collect the vehicle,” said Mosunkutu.
He said officials at roadblocks will also be focusing on driver fatigue, driving under the influence of alcohol and overloading.
“The Operation Blue Light will also be intensified to focus on moving violations, speeding, ignoring road traffic signs and signals and driver offences.”
He added that seven satellite stations, situated alongside major routes like the N1, N4, N12 and N14, would be operating on a seven-day 24-hour basis to co-ordinate law enforcement.
In the Western Cape, Transport MEC Tasneem Essop said that air surveillance would be carried out along major routes. Essop said a total of 114 speed monitoring operations were being planned while 1 068 uniformed officers and 835 vehicles would also be deployed.
Western Cape community safety MEC Leonard Ramatlakane said traffic officials had been instructed to arrest all drivers under the influence of alcohol. He said he wanted magistrates to impose the maximum sentence on drunk drivers and motorists exceeding the limit.
The maximum sentence for speeding is R20 000 fine or two years’ imprisonment and a R24 000 fine for drunk driving, or three years’ imprisonment.
KwaZulu-Natal launched its Easter road safety programme at the Umdloti traffic department this week.
Speaking during the launch, the province’s head of traffic department, Kwazi Mbanjwa, stressed that traffic law enforcement officials would intensify their operations through, among others, roadblocks and awareness campaigns.
“The KZN transport department is very much committed to reducing road deaths this Easter and every effort has been made to ensure that the people of the province and our visitors are safe,” he said.
The province launched its 24-hour Mpimpa hotline where the public can call in to report road offences. The public can report any road-related crime on 086 211 1010.
“Those of us who are drivers probably say, during every trip we take ‘what an idiot!’, ‘look at how that fool is driving’, or ‘why is that child standing on the seat, without any sort of restraint’. The frustration of knowing that there is a problem, and not being able to do anything about it is now over.
“Very soon all drivers will become aware that there are not just a few hundred enforcement of,ficers, but every driver, passenger and pedestrian can report them for bad driving,” said the MEC.
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