Mmabatho: The MEC for the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management, Sello Lehari, extolls the Provincial traffic officers to ensure compliance with the road regulations is not compromised.
This follows a week in which several successful law enforcement operations were held in various towns of the Province. The highlight of these is the operations held in Moses Kotane earlier in the week and Mamusa as part of the Provincial Government’s service delivery acceleration programme called “Thuntsha Lerole”.
In Moses Kotane, eight taxi operators were issued summons for operating without permits, eight vehicles were impounded for being unroadworthy, and two were impounded. Three drivers were arrested for drunken driving, and cases were opened at the Swartruggens Police Station.
“We couldn’t be prouder for our officers. We applaud them and commend their sterling work, as these operations are aimed at being corrective than punitive. The more operations we have, the fewer road crashes we will have”, said MEC Lehari.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, 25th of July 2023, a truck driver from a logistics company was stopped by Provincial Traffic officers after noticing that he had exceeded a permissible load.
The eagle-eyed officers pursued the driver, who veered off the R505 Provincial Road near Ottoshoop outside Mafikeng onto the nearby gravel road to avoid being stopped by the law enforcement officers. The perspicacity of Provincial Inspector (PI) Keet led not only to the arrest of the deviant driver but also to the truck being impounded.
“I commend the traffic officers as this sends a clear message that compliance cannot and will not be compromised. Overloading is a serious transgression. It damages roads infrastructure”, said MEC Lehari.
In his budget speech earlier this year, MEC Lehari said arterial routes in the Province will see a heightened presence of law enforcement officers to ensure compliance. In Mamusa on Thursday and Friday, circa 542 vehicles were stopped and checked, 25 arrest warrants were issued, and 73 summonses were issued for various offences.