Traffic officers on duty 24/7 during festive season, says Mbalula
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says increased police visibility is central to this year’s festive season road safety plan.
Mbalula briefed the National Assembly on his plans for the festive season on Tuesday.
He said the plan is a continuation of the 365 days road safety campaign launched in 2019.
"The implementation of 24-hour, 7-day shift system for traffic law enforcement across the country is underway and will be implemented soon to give impetus to the 365-Days Action Agenda. During the 2019 festive period, we recorded a landmark reduction of 10% in road fatalities. This is an achievement we must build and improve on," he told MPs.
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He said traffic officers will be making sure both drivers and passengers adhere to Covid-19 protocols and abide by traffic laws.
Officers will be placed at high accident zones such as the N4 on the Vosman area near Emalahleni in Mpumalanga, N2 Pongola in KwaZulu-Natal and the R61 at the border of Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
Mbalula said there will also be a focus on rooting out corrupt traffic officials.
"Those involved in the corrupt activities are rotten apples that taint the image of the majority of our traffic law enforcement officers who are committed to ensuring our roads are safe and put in an honest day’s work. We are hard at work to put in place capacity that will enable us to mount undercover and sting operations and throw the book at these criminals who masquerade as officers of the law.”
Mbalula also expressed concern over a spike in the use of recreational drugs and driving under the influence of illegal substances.
