The Trans Kalahari Corridor National Committee in the Republic of South Africa (TKCNC-RSA) continues to strengthen law enforcement compliance and road safety education through its key stakeholder participation.
This follows the first successful National Joint Law Enforcement Operation held recently in the year 2023 on the N4 near Brits on the borders of North West and Gauteng Provinces, which saw all key stakeholders in the law enforcement fraternity and road safety joining hands to ensure safety along the Corridor.
The operation came three months later after the country hosted the Three Member State Joint Law Enforcement in Rustenburg late last year.
The South African National Committee Chairperson, Mr Suebel Mmono, expressed his gratitude to all law enforcement agencies and stakeholders who jointly saw the importance of staging an operation of this magnitude and brought together the necessary resources to see the success of the operation.
“The cleaning of criminal elements along the Corridor remains our combined responsibility with all relevant stakeholders. This will take us a long way in improving efficiency, promoting trade facilitation and harmonisation of Cross Border Transactions and Customs Procedures,” said Mmono.
He outlined that the operation is part of the implementation of the signed Memorandum of Understanding between the Three Member States (Botswana, Namibia and South Africa).
“Our operations on this Corridor are informed by the number of factors that continue to contribute to crashes and fatalities. The operations are preceded by strings of relay speed operations conducted along the stretch of the Corridor to ensure the reduction of crashes as a result of overspeeding.
“This is in order for us to achieve the desired output and contribute to the tripartite agreement of enhancing trade and deepening social and economic integration in the Trans-Kalahari Corridor. National Committee Domestic Joint Law Enforcement Operation aimed to increase road safety awareness for road users along the Corridor and improve the level of safety on the Corridor, reduce crashes and increase compliance,” said Mmono.
The National Committees in the Three Member States are set to facilitate and fast-track the implementation of the MoU and further mobilise communities living along the Corridor.
During the four-hour operation, 336 traffic fines were issued to defaulting motorists for various defects, having stopped more than 700 vehicles which are inclusive of private vehicles, taxis and trucks.
The Department of Home Affairs has also arrested five undocumented foreign nationals during the operation. The road safety education was further enhanced for motorists and general road users, having to engage with more than 180 drivers and passengers.
Mmono said the operation outcome clearly shows that there is still a lot more that needs to be done with non-compliance along the Corridor.
“We appreciate the patience shown by the motorists who had to go through a long checkpoint with the understanding that all vehicles used on the road, including those operating them, are compliant with the necessary documentation and required standards. We urge all road users to be vigilant at all times and ensure that they obey road rules and, importantly, respect our law enforcement officers who are out there ensuring their safety.
“Road safety is every motorist and operator’s responsibility, and they should not only be cautious when seeing the law enforcement officers but adopt it as their driving behaviour at all times,” he concluded.
The Trans Kalahari Corridor is a road network spanning approximately 1900 kilometres across the territories of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. The Corridor is a conduit for economic growth and development for the entire region in fulfilling the objective of the SADC Protocol and African Union Vision 2063.
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