Cape cops nab drunks by the dozen

December 24 2013
By Zara Nicholson

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INLSA

Breathalysers were working ovetime as Cape Town roadblocks resulted in 114 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol in one weekend. Photo: Matthew Jordaan

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Cape Town traffic and metro police officers made a string of drink-driving arrests at the weekend, including that of a police constable whose blood alcohol level was nearly double the legal limit.

In a series of roadblocks and operations across the city they arrested 114 suspects and issued several fines.

At a roadblock on Friday evening on Spine and Makabenet roads in Khayelitsha, officers arrested 16 suspects for driving under the influence of alcohol and issued 29 fines for other offences.

At the same roadblock, officers arrested a police constable who had a breathalyser reading of 0.54mg of alcohol per 1000ml of blood.

The policeman also had his service pistol and 16 rounds of ammunition on him at the time of his arrest.

Traffic officers arrested another 10 suspects for driving under the influence of alcohol at a roadblock in Elsies River on Friday where 36 fines for other offences were also issued.

On Saturday, officers arrested eight suspects for driving under the influence of alcohol in the Langa area.

During a traffic task team operation on Sunday in Nyanga, a further six suspects were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. At a roadblock in Belhar, 21 arrests were made for driving under the influence and another 25 arrests in Atlantis.

Executive director for safety and security Richard Bosman said five drivers were arrested at a roadblock on Jan Smuts Drive in Athlone and 11 more during patrols in the CBD, Table View, Elsies River, Bellville South and Atlantis.

In Kraaifontein, a suspect was arrested for assaulting a police officer when members of the metro police responded to a fighting incident at the Cape Gate mall parking area.

ZERO TOLERANCE

“Our festive season preparedness plan has been activated from 1 December and we are ready for the influx of visitors to our wonderful city. I would like to appeal to motorists to be patient and tolerant on the road.

“Our officers have adopted a zero tolerance approach to drunk drivers,” said Bosman.

Officials are also continuing a clampdown on motorists using cellphones while driving, with nearly 2000 cellphones confiscated between August and November. In that period, traffic officers issued fines totalling R17 579.

Of the 1947 cellphones impounded between August and November, around 1500 have been claimed back by motorists, who have to pay a R1000 fine each.

638 CELLPHONES UNCLAIMED

Since the traffic by-law came into effect in 2011 which prohibits the use of cellphones while driving, the city has issued fines to the value of R5.27 million. Of phones confiscated since then, 638 have not been reclaimed.

Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said there had been a reduction in the number of people using cellphones while driving since the city started confiscating cellphones. Some people were using hands-free devices, which are legal.

“There are, however, drivers who continue to ignore the by-law, hence the continued enforcement focus,” Smith said. - Cape Times

Victim De Lille warns other motorists

December 27 2013
By Jade Otto

 

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inlsa

Mayor Patricia de Lille is the latest victim of a smash and grab at the notorious Vanguard Drive intersection. Photo: Mxolisi Madela

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Cape Town - Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille’s annual leave got off to a hair-raising start when she was a victim of a smash and grab at the notorious N2 and Vanguard Driver intersection.

De Lille was driving alone from Cape Town to a friend in Rylands when she took the Vanguard Drive exit at about 6pm on Christmas Eve.

At the traffic light, she noticed two young men. One walked past her to the back of her private BMW 328 and back to the front again. Seconds later, her passenger side window was smashed.

“It happened in a split second,” De Lille said.

She said the men made off with her handbag which was on the floor on the passenger side of the vehicle. Her watch, R3 000 in cash, cellphone and credit cards were stolen.

“I was so shocked I did not know what to do. The robot changed and cars hooted,” De Lille said.

Metro police officers on Vanguard Drive gave chase but no one was arrested because the suspects disappeared into the Langa area.

A case was opened at Bonteheuwel police station and transferred to Bishop Lavis police.

Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut said the police were aware of the incident and it was under investigation.

Traut urged motorists to exercise caution when they approached robots. He advised them not stop to near the vehicle in front to avoid being “boxed in and ensure an easy getaway”.

“Conceal valuables, don’t leave cellphones, tablets and laptops on the seat in easy view of would-be criminals,” Traut said.

De Lille advised women, especially because they were seen as soft targets, to place their bags in the boot instead.

“I would like to take this unfortunate opportunity to warn all motorists to take extra care when travelling this festive season.

“Ensure your valuables are out of sight, remain aware of your surroundings and keep your doors locked,” De Lille said.

Traut said that while police were aware of the Vanguard Drive intersection as a hot spot, he did not want to identify other areas of concern because “crime patterns constantly shifted”.

jade.otto@inl.co.za

Cape Argus

Hundreds dead but traffic peak only expected in next few days

Sapa | 22 December, 2013 13:19

File photo.
Image by: LULAMILE FENI © Daily Dispatch

A traffic peak is expected on major routes just before Christmas, as people head to their holiday destinations, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said on Sunday.

No major accidents had been reported by Sunday, and traffic volumes were still normal, but major delays were expected on Monday and Tuesday, said Thato Mosena.

More than 600 lives have been lost in over 600 road accidents in December, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said on Friday.

Traffic volumes were expected to increase again next Tuesday, just before New Year, and again on January 5 and 6, when people were expected to return from their holidays.

Mosena said a high traffic volumes were experienced when 1000 to 2000 or more vehicles an hour were travelling on a route.

She said more than 2000 vehicles an hour were expected during peak holiday times.

The N1 north between Pretoria, Polokwane and the Beit Bridge border post was expected to be busy, as was the N2 to and from Somerset West and Cape Town.

A lot of traffic coming into Durban from Johannesburg was expected on the N3.

High volumes of vehicles travelling on routes between Mangaung and Cape Town and between Pretoria, Nelspruit and Lebombo were also expected. N3 Toll Concession spokeswoman Andy Visser said on Sunday morning that about 1000 vehicles an hour had been heading out of Gauteng at the tollgates.

About the same number of vehicles was heading out of KwaZulu-Natal, but more, at 1100, were entering the province.

Limpopo roads and transport spokesman Jimmy Machaka said five people had died in accidents in the province since Friday night.

This brought to 39 the death toll since the start of the month. There had been 178 accidents since then.

He said two of the people who died at the weekend were drivers and two were pedestrians. Details of the fifth death, which occurred after midnight in Polokwane, were still being compiled.

He said a traffic official was seriously injured when he was hit by a car a car while conducting a road block in Groblersdal.

Machaka said that many of the accidents were caused by speeding and overtaking in reckless situations.

He urged pedestrians to wear clothing which made then visible to drivers while walking at night.

Bikers beat last year’s best despite all the ‘red tape’

 

• 25 Nov 2013
• Cape Argus
• Chelsea Geach CADET NEWS AGENCY chelsea.geach@inl.co.za
• From page 1 BIKERS and teddy bears zoomed through the city in their thousands yesterday on the annual Toy Run for children’s charities.

But the 8 000 motorcyclists who rode down to Maynardville Park in Wynberg were in for a big surprise.

Strict security at the beer tent caused the crowd to dry up hours before usual, and organisers had to scramble for water, electricity and toilets at the last minute as the council facilities were out of order.

“The red tape is strangling this event,” said Toy Run vice-chairwoman Glynis Coetzee, who has organised it for 12 years. “It’s getting harder and harder to hold this event because of overzealous regulations.”

Coetzee said the toys and funds generated by the run benefited50 000 children in 300 charities across the Cape.

Coetzee said her team was granted access to the Maynardville Park late on Friday, only to find the water, electricity and toilets were not working: “The charity then has to go to the expense to make up for poor services.”

Parents had to abandon either their beer or their children as no alcohol was allowed outside the small beer tent enclosure, and no under-18s were allowed inside.

Paul Hendricks, who has done the run since 1981, said there were no rides or waterslides to keep children occupied. While a band played to an empty arena, parents smuggled their young children over the fence of the beer garden.

Sizing up the trucks full of toys, Coetzee said it looked as if yesterday’s haul had beaten last year’s best of 34 000.

The city was asked for comment yesterday and said it was only likely comment on the matter today.

MOTORISTS DRIVE SCOT-FREE

• 8 Nov 2013
• Cape Argus
• Anél Lewis METRO WRITER anel.lewis@inl.co.za

Thousands of arrest warrants ‘going stale’ because they are not being signed off

From page 1 ABOUT 44 000 motorists are driving “scot-free” because the courts have only been able to deal with about 500 cases this year, says the City of Cape Town.

PICTURE: ROSS JANSENCAUGHT Officer John Bezuidenhout, fines a driver for crossing a solid line

JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, said: “It’s an absolute crisis. These are large fines and motorists are told to appear in court but they can’t because of the backlog.”

He said thousands of arrest warrants, worth about R300 million, were “going stale” because they were not being signed off by magistrates.

There were currently about 430 000 warrants of arrest of which only 207 000 had been signed and received.

The city is so concerned about the court backlog that it is in talks with the Department of Justice and the provincial government about appointing additional magistrates to hear the cases and work through the backlog - and has offered to pay for them from the city’s coffers.

Smith blamed new national regulations, that called for all motorists who exceeded the speed limit by 30km or more to appear in court, for adding to the crisis.

“Unfortunately this has had a huge impact on our courts as a large percentage of cases need to go to court.”

To deal with this, the city had already employed extra prosecutors and administrative staff from its legal services directorate, said Smith. “Now we are waiting for the magistrates.” Negotiations with the Department of Justice were “slow”, the city said.

A report on traffic fines submitted yesterday to the safety and security portfolio committee, said the city can only take strong action against an offender when a warrant of arrest has been issued.

Traffic chief Heathcliff Thomas said: “Unfortunately the motoring public don’t treat fines with importance but with complete contempt because there are no consequences.”

Marius van Tonder, of safety and security, said: “A warrant of arrest is the last step in a long process where the offender chooses to ignore the fine notices and reminders set, as well as a summons to appear in court which is personally served.”

It is also one of several reasons why the city’s income from traffic fines has dropped by a third, from R143 040 297 in the 2011/2012 financial year to R99 381 526 for 2012/2013.

Van Tonder said there was a “worsening culture” of non-payment.

Other reasons for the sharp decline included the use of visible traffic officers rather than camera fines and technical problems with a new system which delayed the sending out of fine notices and printing of summonses.

He said the substantial reduction and withdrawal of fines by court officials had cost the city nearly R10m in lost revenue. Of the 118 000 presentations to the court about fines, 25 000 were withdrawn.

Van Tonder said the department was also hamstrung by the “poor accuracy” of address data on the eNatis system, which made it difficult to post fines and contact offenders.

Smith is working with Transport MEC Robin Carlisle on new legislation that would “close the loopholes” that help motorists dodge their fines.

He said motorists would soon have to provide Fica-style proof of address when registering their vehicles, to deter them from giving false details.

Officials would soon be able to impound the vehicles of motorists with outstanding fines, and there would be greater visibility with the introduction of traffic reservists.

Meanwhile the city is starting to see the results of its “admin mark”, introduced in March 2013 to penalise errant offenders.

With the admin mark, a motorist with an outstanding warrant of arrest will have a block placed in his account, meaning he won’t be able to renew his car licence, or do any transaction that involves the eNatis system anywhere in the country.

Since the introduction of the admin mark, the income from postal payments from traffic fines at Gallows Hill has increased from R300 000 a month to R1.8 million. “As a direct result, the income at that office has quadrupled,” said Thomas.

Smith said: “There is no lack of access to places of payment. If you are not paying it is because you can’t be bothered.”

Operation Reclaim, which targets motorists with outstanding warrants of arrest, has led to the arrest of more than 16 000 people between June and October.

Smith said the city had recorded nearly a half a million traffic offences in the months between July and September, and made more than 18 500 arrests. Most of these offences – more than 257 000 – were for speeding.

Others areas of concern include the high number of unlicensed drivers and vehicles on the road, and the number of people caught driving without wearing seatbelts.

COSTLY FALLOUT OF CRASH CHAOS ON N1

Driver remains unconscious

THE CRASH on the N1 that brought Cape Town to a standstill last week is estimated to have cost commuters as much as R36 million as they were forced to wait in gridlocked traffic – missing flights, meetings and appointments.

PICTURE: JASON BOUDROAD CLOSED A truck lost a 12-ton barge when it struck a bridge on the N1 outbound near Paarden Eiland last Tuesday. The barge landed on a Nissan bakkie, which was behind the truck

During a debriefing on the incident at the Traffic Management Centre in Goodwood yesterday, incident co-ordinator Dale Hillebrand reconstructed the minutes after a 12- ton barge fell off a truck and crushed a bakkie on Table Bay Boulevard last Tuesday.

The driver of the bakkie, Scott Gonzalez, 51, is still unconscious in Groote Schuur Hospital.

A hospital spokesman said his condition was stable.

Hillebrand said the heavy load slid off the back of the truck at 2.28pm after clipping a section of the Lower Church Street bridge over the N1.

The freeway’s five outbound lanes were quickly closed off and authorities began diverting rush-hour traffic exiting the CBD.

As rescue personnel tried to free Gonzalez from his vehicle, commuters found themselves stuck in standstill traffic in some cases for hours as they sought alternative routes out of the city.

The N1 was closed for three hours.

Hillebrand insisted authorities had dealt with the situation quickly and efficiently, but he did not downplay the impact the crash had on Cape Town’s transport infrastructure.

“As a rule of thumb, we can work out that the accident cost commuters between R10m to R1m an hour.”

He said the crash had caused “chaos” in the city, with normal traffic flow resuming only four hours later.

Hillebrand said all five lanes were closed to create space for the cranes to lift the barge from the bakkie.

The city’s mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith, said the crash and clearing of the wreckage will cost the council R30 000.

“In total, the direct charges – for the damage to bridge and calling out EMS personnel – will amount to R100 000.”

Smith said the truck company, Crescendo Trucking, of Saldanha, would have to foot the bill because the driver had been travelling in contravention of his permit.

“It was an inexperienced driver, who did not know what he was doing. He should not have been on that route.”

In the end, it was just a 10cm difference that plunged the city into chaos, as the height of the truck’s load exceeded that of the bridge.

But despite widespread criticism of how the city handled the crash, Smith said he was happy with how emergency services and authorities had reacted.

“I don’t think it could have been any quicker,” he said.

However, the city was looking at a range of possible improvements in its handling of big collisions.

These would include the provision of more traffic cones for officials, public education on alternate routes, using variable message signs to give better guidance on alternative routes and accidents; and the acquisition of an additional heavy tow-truck.

“I have told all those involved in the operation give it a rating out of 10. I would suggest an eight or a nine,” said Smith.

'We'll take away your car!' - cops

October 23 2013 at 08:41am
By Kieran Legg

Comment on this story

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David Ritchie

Transport and public works MEC Robin Carlisle speaks to the driver of a car that was pulled over for speeding at an average of 131km/h in a 120km/h zone. The driver was later arrested after blowing over the limit on a breathalyser.

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Drivers who flout the rules of the road could soon get the “cellphone treatment” as Western Cape provincial traffic services review the possibility of confiscating vehicles for anything from driving without a licence to speeding.

This follows the introduction of regulations that enable traffic officials to “discontinue” cars found being driven without number plates.

Coupled with the confiscation of cellphones from drivers found chatting at the wheel, this represents the latest in a series of regulations as part of the provincial transport department’s new “no nonsense” approach.

For transport and public works MEC Robin Carlisle the impounding of cars is a logical and appropriate punishment for traffic offenders.

He said the current fine system was too lenient and did little to discourage drivers from speeding or disobeying traffic laws.

“What’s a R250 speeding fine to someone in a R300 000 car? Nothing, they just don’t care.”

This car was fined for an expired licence disc. Picture: Armand Hough

INLSA

Last weekend traffic authorities prosecuted more than 1600 motorists for driving over the speed limit in the Western Cape. Provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said one had been caught driving at 185km/h in a 120km/h zone.

Carlisle said: “It’s frustrating, and it’s all too common. You can clearly see that something needs to be done.”

He said the confiscation of cellphones had proved effective.

“While the evidence isn’t exactly empirical, traffic officials are telling me they pull over far fewer drivers for talking on their phones.”

It is this same system Carlisle hopes to extend to vehicles belonging to traffic offenders.

“Give someone a fine and they wave it off,” he said.

A motorist is photographed driving in the city in a vehicle without number plates. Picture: Armand Hough

INLSA

Take away their car, and you will see them start hurting.”

The details of how the impounding will work have not been ironed out yet. A team was looking at where there was legal legroom to extend impounding to vehicles outside the public transport and business sector.

Carlisle remained positive that a new set of regulations would be introduced soon.

As it stands, under the Road Traffic Act 93 of 96 private vehicles may be impounded for:

A parking offence causing obstruction.

Any vehicle deemed to be abandoned on a public road.

A motorist has her cellphone confiscated during a cellphone confiscation operation. Picture: David Ritchie

INLSA

A vehicle not displaying any form of identification.

Buses and taxis can also be impounded for not having a permit or operating contrary to a permit.

Carlisle was adamant that there was legal room to broaden the grounds for impoundment.

He said the aim would be to confiscate cars for up to a week, depending on the nature of the offence, which could include:

Driving without a valid licence.

Driving an unlicensed or unregistered vehicle.

Driving a car that was not roadworthy.

Excessive speeding.

“The new regulations should be up for public participation by November at the earliest, but it could be pushed up until February,” said Carlisle.

MAKING SPACE

The city and provincial traffic services are in the process of establishing 10 new pounds across the Western Cape over the next three years.

Carlisle said despite the shortage of pounds, there would always be space to expand and cope with the demands of the new regulations.

The city’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, said impounding was the only way to ensure that offenders were forced to face up to their transgressions, and pay to reclaim their vehicles from the pound instead of just evading fines.

“We have seen minibus taxis routinely ignoring traffic fines and evading paying them.”

“We have also seen a steady increase of unlicensed drivers and unlicensed vehicles because the criminal justice system is simply not effectively bringing people to book once they have received a traffic fine for these offences.”

Automobile Association spokesman Graeme Scala supported the idea of stricter punishment for errant motorists, saying the current fine system merely turned speeding drivers into “revenue generators rather than improving road safety”.

But he said the new regulations would mean nothing without proper enforcement.

“We’ve seen it time and time again: these new traffic regulations are introduced and then nothing happens.

They must be visibly policed for more than just a month; it needs to happen year round. Otherwise it’s just talk.”

He said confiscating vehicles would take far more man hours than retroactively issuing traffic fines.

“Without a doubt, this type of regulation would improve the safety for motorists on our roads. I think that if they are introduced, what we will see is drivers completely re-evaluating the way they drive.”

ZERO TOLERANCE IN IN CANADA, DOWN UNDER

The Western Cape government is not the first to consider a zero-tolerance approach to speeders.

Since 2010, traffic authorities in British Columbia, Canada, have been allowed to impound cars belonging to the province’s top traffic offenders for as long as a week.

Repeat offenders can lose their cars for as long as two months.

The province has strict rules on speeding, with anybody caught travelling 40km/h or more over the posted speed limit – which is the legal definition of “excessive speeding” in the province - liable to have their cars impounded for up to 48 hours.

This increases exponentially for every prior traffic offence on the driver’s record.

Australia also has a strict approach when it comes to traffic offenders. While cars can be impounded for a variety of reasons, they are mainly confiscated when the driver is caught speeding (40km/h over the limit), causing undue noise or is involved in a road rage incident.

Vehicles can also be impounded if the motorist is caught driving without a licence, driving an unlicensed or unregistered vehicle, or driving while their licence is suspended or expired.

According to the World Health Organisation, Australia had only seven deaths on the road per 100 000 people in 2009.

Canada had slightly more at about nine deaths per 100 000 people.

South Africa recorded 33 deaths per 100 000 people in the same year.

SILENCING MOTORMOUTH DRIVERS

Meanwhile, traffic officials have confiscated 1600 cellphones since the City of Cape Town started clamping down on drivers caught texting and chatting behind the wheel.

A by-law regulating this was introduced in July 2012 year as a measure to discourage motorists from using their phones while driving.

The regulation does not only allow traffic officials to confiscate phones but also to slap motorists with a R500 fine.

The by-law was welcomed by the public, but the regulation failed to take off in the way the city had hoped - many motorists were still taking chances.

Therefore, in July this year, the city introduced a further R1100 recovery fee for motorists to reclaim their confiscated phones.

Smith said that of the 1600 phones had been impounded since the by-law was introduced, about 170 had not yet been collected.

If phones are not collected within three months they are auctioned off to the public, with the first auction set to take place in November 2013 - Cape Argus

10cm is all it took to create chaos

N1 ACCIDENT: Questions raised over the city’s ability to handle traffic disasters after man nearly crushed by truck that lost its load on highway

THE TRUCK driver who lost his load on the N1 on Tuesday, causing traffic mayhem across Cape Town, was on the wrong road.

Bound for Saldanha Bay, he should have been on the R27, not the N1.

And his 4.7m load, a 12 ton barge, was 10cm higher than the height limit on the Lower Church Street bridge, which is clearly marked 4.6m.

It was 10cm that made all the difference, not only to Cape Town’s traffic, but also to the driver of the bakkie behind the truck. As the truck drove under the bridge, the barge was swept off the flatbed onto the cab of the bakkie. The driver is in a serious condition in ICU at Groote Schuur Hospital.

Now Capetonians are asking if the city is prepared for emergencies and disasters.

And JP Smith, mayoral commitee member for safety and security, wants an urgent meeting with the city’s transport directorate, safety and security, and Transport MEC Robin Carlisle.

He also wants to know why police insisted on closing all the outward bound lanes of the N1 after the accident, exacerbating the traffic chaos. THE MASSIVE traffic gridlock around the city this week caused by the accident on the N1 has left many wondering if the City of Cape Town is prepared for emergencies and disasters.

Mayoral committee member for transport Brett Herron said the city had a disaster risk management plan to deal with incidents such as yesterday’s accident, and an updated version had been approved by the mayoral committee this week. It includes a disaster risk assessment table that identifies possible hazards and the areas that would be worst hit.

These hazards range from flash floods and tsunamis to earthquakes, pest infestations and an outbreak of an infectious disease. It also looks at nonnatural disasters such as aircraft, rail and shipping incidents.

There is also a plan for a nuclear disaster at Koeberg, although this is listed as “unlikely”.

Each directorate is responsible for its relevant response to an incident.

For a major traffic accident, the chief of traffic services is responsible for co-ordinating a response with the police and other emergency services. This would involve helping police to control and disperse crowds on the roadways near the emergency area.

The plan acknowledges that serious road accidents are “very likely” (expected to happen at least once a month). It also notes that the city’s entire road network – “especially highways and intersections” – are vulnerable.

Herron said the accident on the N1 highlighted an urgent need for a freight management strategy. Many collisions in the city involved freight vehicles.

“We can’t ban freight vehicles from the roads because then we may as well close the city down from an economic perspective. But we need a clear strategy in partnership with Transnet to ensure frequent and reliable freight rail services.”

A plan is being formulated and will probably be in place by next July.

“We need to look at how freight moves, and when it moves, to reduce impact on our road structure and other users. Do we restrict certain trucks to certain roads – and how do we do that?” said Herron.

Roads such as the R27 used by heavy-duty vehicles were showing signs of wear.

Herron said that while Tuesday’s snarl-up had affected road-users, commuters using trains and MyCiTi buses were largely unaffected.

Transport consultant Rory Williams underscored the need for a rapid response to such an emergency, as well as communication between all the relevant authorities. Communication should also extend to commuters via radio and other means so they could make alternative plans before getting stuck in traffic.

Other cities have a middle lane where traffic can be reversed in the event of an emergency.

Commuters vented their frustration on social media and “#gridlock” trended on Twitter.

“Why Cape Town needs more roads: #Gridlock in the city after an accident shut down ONE major route,” read one Tweet, while another annoyed commuter Tweeted: “Can only hope there are consequences for the injury and gridlock caused by negligence in Cape Town today”.

● Herron said the city was moving closer to its vision of an integrated transport system with “one ticket, one timetable”.

Talks with the national and provincial government about allowing the City of Cape Town to take over all contracting and regulatory responsibilities for public transport are at an advanced stage.

Since the new Transport for Cape Town structure was formed a year ago, the city has applied to national government to be the contracting authority for land public transport.

It has also prepared a business plan to take over all the licensing functions of public transport, currently the responsibility of the provincial government.

“The ultimate goal is to integrate all these nodes into one network.”

There are talks with Metrorail and Golden Arrow to introduce the smart card, used on MyCiTi routes, into these services.

The Passenger Rail Agency of SA has agreed to put the multibillionrand Blue Downs rail project on its 2015 budget. This will link the southeast of the metro with the northern suburbs via a direct rail service.

Herron said that since many commuters came into the city from beyond the metro’s borders, there were plans to extend the city’s transport – be it with a MyCiTi bus or another service – to areas such as Stellenbosch and Somerset West. IN THE wake of the gridlock on Tuesday, that added hours to the home-bound commute for many thousands of central city workers, the one question motorists have been asking with some alarm is this: if the city was shut down for several hours by a single accident, involving a large truck and a bakkie, how would we possibly manage in a mega-emergency?

As things stand, the only possible answer is: with difficulty.

It’s doubtful that even the best emergency plan in the world could ease movement on our car-clogged roads… if motorists assume that, in an emergency, they can expect to get clear of the danger zone in their own cars.

Would we agree, for instance, to abandon our cars on the pavements and board buses laid on to ferry us away from danger, or agree to remain at work, in our offices, to keep roadways clear for emergency vehicles only?

This is mere conjecture. The fact is, we don’t have to imagine the likely traffic mangle that might ensue in the event of a really serious or city-wide emergency – this week’s gridlock is telling evidence enough of what is, fundamentally, an unsustainable transport modus in the 21st century.

SIMPLY speaking, too many of us – most, single drivers – are using the roads, and it’s as clear as daylight that that will have to change. It is costly, to individuals as much as the economy, wasteful of resources, and, not least, in a society with much to be frustrated about, it only ups the aggression and impatience we have enough of already.

On the transport front, there is a palpable sense that Cape Town is applying more progressive thinking, planning and investing today than at any other time in decades. The MyCiTi bus initiative, the centralising of transport management and the increasing emphasis on better, safer public transport are reflections of this.

But it may be time to consider new measures that will, to be bald, punish the excessive use of cars.

The unavoidable alternative will be to endure more traffic fiascos like Tuesday’s, or worse ones.

The science of safety – how to curb road carnage

• By Hector Eliott

Tackle enforcement, education and speed now.

IT SEEMS SOME PARENTS ARE MORE CAREFUL SECURING A CASE OF BEER THAN A CHILD

From page 2 JUST two horrific crashes in KwaZulu-Natal claimed 34 lives recently, one involving Reed Dance maidens, the other a runaway truck. Let’s recap on the scope of the crisis on South African roads: 17 072 killed per annum at last count, and R306 billion, or close to 10 percent of GDP down the drain. So what do we need to do? Here are three suggestions which are by no means comprehensive.

PICTURE: SANDILE MMAKHOBANO CHANCE One of the cars was obliterated by the truck in the Pinetown crash

We should implement a national road safety strategy, as has been promised since 2009.

Development must happen now – implementation takes longer. The strategy needs to adopt international best practices, customise them to local conditions, and be developed in consultation with the full range of stakeholders, including our best academics, surgeons, EMTs (emergency medical technicians), engineers and traffic services, as well as the private sector and NGOs. The strategy needs to accept that road safety is a science that has been in existence for decades, and every intervention must be based on best practice and careful analysis of the evidence, not on guesswork.

In this regard, regular production of accurate road safety statistics must be revived and one or more state-of-the-art road safety research facilities must be created. The strategy must cover all actions required to make our roads safe. The Western Cape government has made admirable progress towards developing a safe systems strategy, and the City of Cape Town will soon release a road safety strategy for the metro, but overall direction must be unified, cover the whole of society and the entire country, be backed by serious budget, and must therefore come from national government. Such a strategy should include:

Bolstered enforcement, including better support from the justice system: serious offenders should be sentenced based on what they did, not on who they are, and middleclass convicted road killers like Andries Zuidema or Bhekilanga Nkalitshana should not walk free because they have jobs and dependants. Also, driver and vehicle licensing corruption needs to be tackled through facility surveillance, undercover operations and constant automated auditing of licences, backed by random traffic stops and roadblocks. Offenders, particularly corrupt officials, must be sanctioned to the full extent of the law, including severe fines and/or jail time for people who buy illegal licences.

Better road safety education, which is in an appalling state. As a result, most drivers and nearly all

Jpassengers don’t wear seatbelts. Some motorists even believe that wearing a seatbelt is dangerous. Few recognise the link between speed and the number of serious crashes on the road. Some even deny the link as vehemently as those who denied the link between HIV and Aids, based on as little evidence.

It seems some parents are more careful securing a case of beer in their vehicle than a child, send unaccompanied small children across busy roads to the shop, or let them play in the street unsupervised. Pedestrians wander across highways completely intoxicated. We need a systematic and sustained road safety education programme that utilises marketing and behavioural science techniques, and stigmatises reckless behaviours like drunk driving, speeding and not buckling in children. The programme needs to be broad-based and backed by enforcement action that reinforces the education message. It should be funded by redirecting part of the Road Accident Fund’s budget. The return on investment for the RAF will eclipse the outlay: more ads mean fewer prosthetic limbs and funerals.

Addressing speed. Appropriate traffic speed for the road environment is a core part of road safety. South Africa’s speed limits do not suit its infrastructure, vehicles and driver capabilities. They need to come down, finish enklaar. People won’t suddenly start obeying the new limit. But the evidence from around the world shows that the mean speed travelled goes down when speed limits are reduced, even where enforcement is not optimal. A 10km/h speed limit reduction can mean a four to 5km/h mean speed reduction. That in turn can mean a 10 percent reduction in serious crashes, and save thousands of lives. Lower speeds save lives with minuscule impacts on journey times.

We should implement a workable demerit points and administrative justice system, because the courts are so overburdened that even offenders who are caught often ultimately get away with it. We’ll need private tow-andimpound facilities so that police can swiftly impound vehicles that are not properly registered, or which are being driven without a licence. The current situation is to give the offender a fine and send them on their way. The fine is never paid, the vehicle never registered, and the driver never gets a licence, which prevents something like AARTO from working: you can’t take points off an unlicensed driver. The net result of a system that requires compliance to work, but costs drivers a lot to comply, and little to not comply, is, unsurprisingly, less compliance. If tow-andimpound facilities were available, the officer would inform control, which dispatches the nearest operator to come and collect the vehicle. The owner can only collect the vehicle with the necessary documentation and on payment of the relevant fines, which creates real consequences for non-compliance.

We need more policing, not more police, and we need to get the SAPS directly involved in law enforcement on the roads. As our new transport minister recently pointed out, the traffic services and metro police number 18 000 countrywide, which is minuscule, and these are not all optimally trained or equipped. SAPS has over 200 000 uniformed members, and needs to start taking a lead role in road policing. This means breathalysing everybody they stop at a roadblock or traffic stop, checking their identity and ensuring that their vehicle is legally registered and roadworthy. The SAPS needs to take action any time it sees the law being broken, including pedestrians on the highway, vehicles without registration plates, speeders and moving violations. The SAPS’s return on investment will be huge: as the roads are taken back, so criminals will find it harder to move themselves, victims, guns, drugs and contraband.

ROAD RAGE: CYCLISTS STRIKE BACK

Online hunt for motorist behind alleged assault

I STARTED FIGHTING BACK… HE JUST KEPT ON SHOUTING HOW HE WOULD KILL CYCLISTS

AR50 000 reward and an online campaign were at the centre of the hunt for a man who allegedly attacked and spat on a cyclist. Lona Marais was training in Blouberg when she was almost run over by a 4x4. She said the enraged driver jumped out his car, shoved her from her bike and punched her before speeding off. The incident sparked outrage online and the story was shared more than 1 000 times. Users on Facebook claimed the driver had been identified, it is understood he had handed himself over to the police. IT’S HARD to be anonymous in this age of Facebook and Twitter.

ROUGHED UP Cyclist Lona Marais claims she was attacked by a motorist on the side of the road

When Lona Marais was shoved off her bicycle, spat on and then held in front of oncoming traffic by the driver of a plateless vehicle, she was determined to bring him to book.

The Table View resident and a friend were on a training ride on Perlemoen Street in Blouberg on Monday morning.

It is a routine activity for Marais, 47, who has taken part in numerous Ironman competitions and, more recently, the Save the Rhino cycling event.

“As we were crossing the intersection, this big silver double-cab 4x4 just skips a stop sign and almost knocks me over.”

She said the driver was animatedly chatting on his cellphone.

“I shouted at him to get off the phone and watch where he was going. That’s when he rolled down the window and started hurling insults at me.”

Acclimatised to altercations with motorists, Marais thought nothing of the confrontation as the driver sped off.

But as she neared the road’s intersection with Marine Drive, she found the angry driver waiting for her. This time, he did not stay in the car. After berating her from the front seat, where he threatened to “kill all cyclists”, she said the motorist jumped out of the car and spat in her face.

“That’s how he introduced himself,” she said.

“He then shoved me off my bike, but I held on to him to keep my balance. That’s when he started punching my arms to loosen my grip.”

She said after she fell on to the road he grabbed her left arm, twisted it behind her back and then tried to force her into oncoming traffic.

“I started fighting back at that stage. I just remember being so calm during the whole thing.

“He just kept on shouting how he would kill cyclists.”

Drivers on the other side of the road, seeing the fight unfold, stopped and jumped out to help Marais.

“He got back into his car and sped off. That’s when I noticed he did not have any number plates.”

Marais said she was not badly hurt, coming away with only a few bruises on her arms.

She laid a formal charge at the Table View police station, but without being able to identify the driver it was evident the case was going nowhere. That was when her husband decided to hand out pamphlets and circulate a Facebook post, giving a description of the driver and his vehicle.

He urged people to help track down the motorist and offered R50 000 to anyone who could successfully identify him.

The post sparked outrage online, and quickly went viral as it was shared more than 1 000 times on Facebook and Twitter.

By last night, a friend of the Marais family said the driver had been identified.

“I would like to thank everyone for helping out,” wrote the user.

Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that an assault charge had been laid at Table View police station.

Reports that the driver had handed himself over to the police yesterday afternoon could not be confirmed by the time of going to print.

12 DIE IN WEEKEND OF ROAD CARNAGE

• Cape Argus
• Kieran Legg STAFF REPORTER kieran.legg@inl.co.za

12 DIE IN WEEKEND OF ROAD CARNAGE

 

17 passengers injured as bakkie overturns

A COLLISION that left seven dead set the tone for what was another weekend of carnage on the Western Cape’s roads with 12 people killed in crashes across the province.

Yesterday morning there was chaos on Lansdowne Road in Khayelitsha when emergency teams scrambled to treat 17 passengers who had been flung from the back of a bakkie.

Metro EMS spokesman Darren Francis said that when paramedics arrived, one passenger was already dead.

Three critically injured men and seven seriously injured men and women were taken to the Khayelitsha Hospital, and the rest were taken to a nearby clinic.

ER24 spokesman Christo Venter said the bakkie had overturned.

In an incident in Lansdowne Road, Rondebosch East, early yesterday, two men in their twenties were killed when their car overturned and crashed into a tree.

Francis said both men were declared dead on the scene.

InRawsonville, a 22-year-old driver was crushed to death when his bakkie overturned on a gravel road, throwing the man from the vehicle and landing on top of him.

On the R45 near Stellenbosch, a collision between two cars left six people injured.

The leg of one injured person was amputated above the ankle before the person was taken to Paarl Hospital, Francis said.

The other victims, two of whom were seriously injured, were taken to Stellenbosch Hospital.

Another man was killed when his car crashed on the N2 close to the M5 exit.

The crashes came after a three-car pileup in Citrusdal left seven dead on Friday night.

A taxi carrying farm workers, smashed into a car parked on the roadside. It overturned and ended up back on the road.

A car crashed into the taxi, killing the car driver on impact.

Police spokesman Colonel Themibinkosi Kinana said 16 passengers were in the taxi.

The driver and five passengers were found dead on the scene by emergency services workers.

Emergency teams stabilised four of the critically injured passengers before taking them to Tygerberg Hospital.

The others were taken to Citrusdal Hospital.

Western Cape traffic chief Kenny Africa said the number of fatalities on the province’s roads over the weekend was far too high.

Thirteen people died in crashes across the Western Cape last week, and Africa has urged drivers not to take risks on the road.

DRIVE TO COMBAT BRIBERY, GRAFT

 

• 12 Sep 2013
• Cape Argus
• Neo Maditla STAFF REPORTER neo.maditla@inl.co.za

 

Illegal issuing of driving licences back in spotlight after arrests

CORRUPTION in the issuing of driving licences is back in the spotlight following arrests and conviction of law enforcement officers and learner drivers over the past few months.

IN A JAM People queue for driving licences at the Hillstar Traffic Centre. Up to 40 percent of South African drivers don’t have a valid licence, according to the AA

Provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said two law enforcement officers who had been charged with corruption in Beaufort West were sentenced to five years in prison two weeks ago.

The officers were demanding bribes from long-distance taxi drivers in exchange for allowing their unroadworthy vehicles to continue their journeys.

The AA said between 20 and 40 percent of South African drivers did not have a valid driving licence.

“Insurance estimates from the late 1980s and early 1990s were that 20 to 25 percent of drivers on South African roads didn’t have a valid licence, and the AA raised the spectre that the overall figure might have exceeded 30 percent and perhaps edged over 40 percent in a worst-case scenario.”

But the AA also pointed out it was almost impossible to establish the real scale of the problem due to improperly-issued licences being indistinguishable from genuine ones on e-Natis.

“The only way to check if a licence is genuine is to examine the supporting documentation at the original testing station, and with almost 10 million licensed drivers on our roads, it would be a mammoth task.”

Richard Bosman, executive director for safety and security for the City of Cape Town, said the city did not tolerate corrupt officials and took bribery allegations extremely seriously.

“In any cases where City of Cape Town staff are found to be involved in bribery, they are dealt with in terms of the disciplinary code and, where applicable, criminal cases are opened against them. Recently two members of staff were dismissed for such offences.”

Bosman said officials had also reported two incidents of attempted cheating and bribery.

The first took place in May at the Gordon’s Bay Drivers’ Licence Testing Centre where a man failed his learner’s licence test and tried to bribe an officer for a pass.

“The applicant handed (the examiner) a small plastic bank bag with R100 notes in it and tried to bribe her. She immediately reported the matter to her superior, showed him the plastic bag and the test, and explained the attempted bribe.”

There was R1 200 in the bag, and the man was arrested for bribery. He pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced to three years in prison or 1 000 hours of community service to be served before the end of December.

The second incident happened in July at the Goodwood Driving Licence Testing Centre where an examiner caught an applicant using a “cheat sheet”.

Bosman said the applicant was asked to stop writing, the police were called and the applicant was arrested.

Transport MEC Robin Carlisle said it was hard to determine whether incidents of corruption and bribery were on the rise.

“However they are of grave concern as they threaten the safety of others by unleashing unskilled and untrained killers on the roads.

“One incident of such fraud is one too many, and where we are made aware of such, we take swift and decisive action to bring those perpetrating these crimes to justice.”

‘I DIDN’T PULL THE TRIGGER’

 

• Natasha Bezuidenhout STAFF REPORTER

‘I DIDN’T PULL THE TRIGGER’

SCUFFLE: Cop says shot that killed ex-cricketer Luke Fairweather went off during struggle

FORMER Western Province cricketer Luke Fairweather slammed a city traffic officer so hard against a car’s rear windscreen that it broke.

PICTURE: JASON BOUDTESTIMONY Traffic officer Ian Sinclair outside the Wynberg inquest court yesterday

Describing the last moments of Fairweather’s life on a Newlands street two years ago, Officer Ian Sinclair told a Wynberg inquest court yesterday that he drew his firearm with his right hand, and Fairweather reached for it, covering Sinclair’s hand with his own.

Sinclair said: “I did not pull the trigger. With the violent struggle for possession of the firearm a shot was discharged.” Fairweather, wounded in the stomach, fell to his knees. “His hand was still on mine. He said: ‘You are going to die.’ Another traffic officer released his hand from mine,” Sinclair said.

Fairweather, pictured, collapsed and died. He was 49. Sinclair, 62, said that on that day, January 5, 2011, he had been tasked with escorting the South African cricket team from their hotel in the city centre to Newlands and back.

After arriving at the stadium at 9.05am, he began general patrol duties around the stadium.

About 4.55pm he was writing a traffic ticket on Mariendahl Road when he saw a Honda Jazz draw up in a no-stopping area. He began filling in a ticket for the Honda. By the time he had written it, the car had moved to where he was standing. He slipped the ticket through the window to the “elderly woman driving” – Fairweather’s mother, Margeret – and asked her to move the car, which she did.

“Three minutes later I was approached by a member of the public. He was 5 foot 10 inches, around 130kg and well- built. He walked straight up to me, his face a thumb’s width from mine, and said: ‘Why did you give my mother a f***ing ticket?’” “He walked back to the car, now parked in a driveway, crumpled up the ticket and threw it on the ground.”

Sinclair said he told Fairweather to pick it up: “I said, ‘Pick up the ticket or…’ and he interrupted me and said: ‘Well, then, f***ing well arrest me.’

“He advanced towards me and used his body to push me back in a very aggressive manner.”

Sinclair stepped back. Fairweather got into the car and reached for the door handle, but it slipped out of his hand, which seemed to infuriate him.

“He got out of the vehicle violently and launched an aggressive assault… He… hit me on the upper body. I backpedalled and drew my firearm… and pointed it to the ground… I thought that would stop the assault. He saw the firearm and shouted: ‘You want to shoot me, pull the f***ing trigger.’

“He grabbed me by the chest and arms and rammed me into the rear window of a Renault Scenic, which broke the back window.” A struggle for the gun followed, and a shot was discharged. “I did not pull the trigger.” Sinclair said he had bruises to his eye, cheek, rib cage, arm and hand. He felt shocked, disoriented and confused

The hearing continues today.

Vietnam traffic cops not allowed to carry R50

Sapa-dpa | 15 August, 2013 08:45

A policeman directs traffic on a street in Hanoi. File photo.
Image by: KHAM / REUTERS

Traffic police in the central highlands of Vietnam have been banned from carrying more than 100 000 dong (R47) while on duty, in an effort to prevent corruption, police said.

If an officer needs more than that amount for use after work, they must seal it and report it for approval from their boss, a police official from Kon Tum Traffic Department said, declining to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

An additional regulation prohibits traffic police officers from smoking, drinking and using mobile phones while on duty, Colonel Tu Lam, director of Kon Tum Traffic Police Department, told the Tuoi Tre newspaper.

The regulations are aimed at preventing officers taking bribes from motorists.

Previously, Vietnamese police have been banned from hiding behind trees, wearing sunglasses or masks, and putting their hands in their pockets when dealing with traffic-violation cases.

Vietnam's police retained their position as the most corrupt of 12 institutions in the country, according to a survey released last month by Transparency International.

Tony Yengeni: Struggle veteran to flawed politician

 

13 AUG 2013 15:44 FARANAAZ PARKER

Despite his flagging influence, Tony Yengeni remains a public persona that people love to hate.

The ANC's Tony Yengeni spent Sunday night in jail after being arrested for driving his Maserati GranCabrio “erratically”. Yengeni reportedly had a blood alcohol level almost three times the legal limit.

Given the circumstances that surrounded his last drunk driving arrest, many cynical South Africans are half expecting to see Yengeni, so often seen as a protected political fat cat, to get off with a rap on the knuckles. But there is little evidence that history will repeat itself in this regard.

The popular image of Yengeni is of a man carried to prison on the shoulders of his comrades, hailed a hero by ANC heavyweights including the former Western Province premier Ebrahim Rasool, provincial ANC chair James Ngculu and former minister in the presidency Essop Pahad.

That was all the way back in 2006, when Yengeni was convicted of fraud and sentenced to four years in jail, after accepting a discount on a Mercedes-Benz, while a member of Parliament’s defence committee, offered by a company involved in the arms deal.

Yengeni went to prison, head unbowed, proclaiming he was the victim of an “unfortunate travesty of justice” and that he would "come out stronger".

Public perceptions of Yengeni weren’t helped by any of the details that emerged in the following months – barely a few hours after arriving at the austere Pollsmoor Prison, he was apparently served a large lunch in a prison boardroom, then whisked off to the more modern, and comfortable, Malmesbury Prison.

He was released a mere four months later.

The ANC chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe at the time famously said, "Tony Yengeni is us and we are Tony Yengeni." But many appear to have overestimated his relevance to the politics of the country.

Powerful struggle credentials
Yengeni’s powerful struggle credentials cannot be denied. He joined the ANC and went into exile as a member of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), received military training in Angola, Botswana and Zambia and studied social science in Russia.

After returning to South Africa and taking up a role with MK in the Western Cape, he was detained in 1987 and tortured over a number of months by Western Cape security branch operatives.

It emerged during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that he had been tortured using the"wetbag" technique, which is similar to waterboarding, during his detention.

He was held in custody for a further three years, and put on trial for terrorism before his eventual release during the transition from apartheid.

In the early post-apartheid years, he became first the secretary general of the ANC in the Western Cape, then chair of Parliament’s joint standing committee for defence. He later became chief whip of the ANC in Parliament.

Yengeni’s taste for the finer things in life did not go unnoticed. Known for his stylish clothing and flashy cars, Yengeni was also known as a “Gucci socialist”.

It later emerged that he had been a central figure in dealings with the German Frigate Consortium, which won the R1.4-billion tender to supply four corvettes to the South African navy – part of an estimated R70-billion arms deal which involved fraud and bribery on an epic scale, a scandal that implicated several top government officials, and which has yet to be resolved.

• See our arms deal special report

Protected
For a while he appeared to be among the politically protected in country. When Yengeni was arrested for drunk driving in 2007, he faced the possibility of a return to jail, having broken his parole conditions. The incident marked the beginning of a twisted affair, implicating ANC higher ups in an attempt to cover for Yengeni.

The blood samples and docket for the infraction were both tampered with in the days after the incident. The police station commander who dealt with the incident, Siphiwo Hewana, later claimed in court that he had been ordered by the commissioner of police in the Western Cape to falsify the evidence.

Tabloid Tony
Yengeni emerged unscathed from the incident but has made periodic appearances in the press, more for his personal life than for any real political clout.

Last year, Yengeni reportedly almost came to blows with South African Communist Party leader Blade Nzimande, during a heated NEC meeting. It was during a debate on the possible expulsion of former ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, when Yengeni yelled, "Who the fuck do you think you are?” at Nzimande.

A month later, he was fined by traffic police for driving a Maserati with an expired licence disk and no licence plates.

In 2010 it emerged that he had failed to inform companies and intellectual property registration office of his fraud conviction. This was significant as the Companies Act prohibits those convicted of fraud, theft, forgery or perjury from serving as company directors. Yengeni held six directorships at the time. He was forced to resign from them after the Democratic Alliance laid charges against him concerning the omission.

Yengeni said he was under the impression that the law only prevented him from holding directorships in public companies.

He made headlines again in 2011, when he split from his wife Lumka amid reports that he had left home and moved in with a young stock broker, whom he had showered with lavish gifts, including overseas trips and a convertible Jaguar.

Tony who?
In recent days, Yengeni has been referred to as the head of the ANC’s political school but it is unclear whether he actually fills this role. During the Mangaung conference last year, President Jacob Zuma announced his deputy Kgalema Motlanthe would be heading the school once it was running.

But despite this and frequent references to the school by members of the ANC over the past few years, it has as yetfailed to materialise.

Although he once led the party’s political education unit, that role is currently being filled by Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa.

According to ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu, Yengeni’s role in the ANC is as a member of the party’s NEC, providing political guidance to branches, regions and provinces, doing election work and attending NEC meetings.

Mthembu said the party had not released a statement on the incident because it concern’s Yengeni’s personal life.

"We've kept quiet because there is no political side to this issue. There was no reason for us to issue a statement. It’s a matter which [Yengeni] is dealing with himself," he said.

It’s unclear whether the same loyalties that protected Yengeni the last time he was arrested for drunk driving will come to bear this time.

Waning influence
While his political fortunes may have waned over the years, his military background and torture at the hands of the apartheid government may grant him a degree of sympathy from higher up.

Political analyst Steven Friedman said that while Yengeni may well continue to get support from the ANC, this would not be because he is strategically valuable.

Once a Mbeki supporter, Yengeni switched sides around the time of the Polokwane conference, which saw Mbeki ousted by the Zuma faction, Friedman said. But with the ANC’s last elective conference ending in a clean sweep for Zuma, he may not be as needed now as he once was.

"If he is shown any loyalty, it is because the usual ANC loyalties pitch in – because he showed loyalty to the president and he showed value to the struggle."

On a practical level, there are also now more checks and balances in place to ensure that the evidence in the matter is not tampered with – greater public interest given the deceptions involved in the investigation of his previous arrest, video footage at the station where he was processed and an opposition transport mnister keen to convict

Yengeni’s court appearance is sent for March 4 next year.

Road safety needs a far greater sense of urgency

Alarmingly high death toll cannot be ignored, writes Hector Eliott

 

JUSTICE Minister Jeff Radebe’s senseless shutdown of the Western Cape’s successful name and shame anti-drunk driving campaign comes as no surprise to anyone in South Africa with any interest in road safety.

BUSTED The shut down of the name and shame campaign is senseless, says the writer

The context is as follows: this year, the Medical Research Council, using body counts from morgues, determined that 17 700 people had died on South Africa’s roads in 2009, that’s 36 road deaths per 100 000 people.

Let’s compare that to our Brics partners: we’re at seven times the death rate of China and three times that of India. Our death rate is close to twice that of Brazil.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the national body responsible for road safety, naively believes there were “only” 13 768 deaths on our roads in 2009.

This massive disjuncture between reality and the RTMC’s statistics means we have no way of knowing the full range of devastation endured by our society: the body charged to deal with the issue is living in a dream world.

We can make some assumptions from international and local experience, though, such as that there are at least four serious injuries for every fatality.

This means, among other things, burns, dismemberment, paralysis, brain damage and blindness for about 70 800 people each year.

The cost in human misery is inestimable, as survivors grapple to deal with horrific injuries, posttraumatic stress and financial disaster. Families are being senselessly torn apart every day.

The victims are often children – road trauma is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of five and 14, mostly run over by careless motorists or unintentionally killed by parents who didn’t buckle them in.

The latest estimate of the annual cost to the economy of road trauma is R302 billion a year, or roughly 10 percent of the GDP. In other developing countries, the average is 2 percent.

The Medical Research Council’s 2009 data indicates that by now – in 2013 – the number of road deaths each year will likely have exceeded the number of murders, making road deaths the leading cause of violent death in South Africa. Only our horrific burden of disease keeps it from the number one spot.

In other words, thousands of people are being needlessly slaughtered, and tens of thousands are being horrifically injured, while our economy is being held to ransom.

And, unlike our other societal woes, it is almost entirely avoidable, simply by implementing the basics of road safety, a science that has been developed over more than six decades.

The problem is that it requires political will from the top, and in South Africa, that will is completely lacking. President Jacob Zuma did not even mention road safety in his State of the Nation address.

This is a breathtaking omission in a country where at least 17 700 people are being needlessly slaughtered each year, with disastrous results for an economy desperate to achieve the kind of growth needed to create jobs and lift our people out of poverty.

He gives the impression that he simply doesn’t care, which hopefully means he doesn’t know, but which in turn begs the question of what he is doing running the country in the first place.

Successive national transport ministers, S’bu Ndebele and now Ben Martins have made a few of the right noises, and KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Willies Mchunu has shown some mettle, even if he did meekly bow to national government’s meddling in his own name and shame campaign in 2011.

In the Western Cape, however, there is genuine political will to tackle the crisis. MEC Robin Carlisle has thrown himself into the struggle head first from the day he took office.

The results have been astonishing – a 30 percent decrease in fatalities since 2009, an incredible reduction for any region of comparable size, and the name and shame campaign has featured prominently.

This achievement is all the more impressive in that the Western Cape and its municipalities hold few of the main levers required to drive road safety, which rest with national government. SAPS’s 19 000 members in the province are a case in point.

Carlisle is a DA MEC, and it has been suggested that Radebe shutting down the name and shame campaign in the Western Cape is a political ploy to close down a successful DA project.

I don’t believe the ANC would knowingly sacrifice the lives of Western Cape citizens for a few votes, even if the behaviour of some of its provincial leadership sometimes indicates otherwise.

It seems more likely to me that the shutdown actually came as a result of the ANC’s blasé attitude to road safety, epitomised by Zuma omitting it from his address.

The AARTO comedy of errors and the succession of ANC politicians bust for drunk driving, speeding or running people over in their blue-light convoys is bad enough.

Nothing, however, makes the ANC’s indifference to the slaughter clearer than the fact that South Africa has yet to produce a national strategy for the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety, despite South Africa being a signatory to the 2009 Moscow Convention.

The decade lasts from 2011 to 2020, and it is already mid-2013, with no sign of progress. In stark contrast to this astonishing footdragging insouciance towards the safety of road users is the speed at which the ANC has been pumping through toll-road legislation.

When it comes to emptying people’s pockets with tolls, the ANC moves like lightning, but when it comes to keeping those same people safe on those same roads, it’s like they’re smoking Slo-Mo, the fictional drug in the South African-made sci-fi film Dredd, which slows time to a fraction of its normal speed.

While the shutdown of the name and shame campaign may not be political, what is clear is that it will take political change before the terrible slaughter on our roads is taken seriously by the government, and before this sea-anchor consuming 10 percent of our GDP each year, and dragging our economy to the bottom, can be cut away.

City Traffic Officers clamp down on reckless and negligent driving

City Traffic Services increased its presence on the N2 this week following several reports of recurring traffic infractions, mainly by minibus taxi drivers. The following successes were recorded:

City of Cape Town Traffic Services’ Highway Ghost Squad conducted a series of operations along the N2 this week. These operations stemmed from a number of complaints that minibus taxis in particular were driving recklessly and without regard for other motorists in the area. Officers arrested a total of 14 suspects.

On Thursday 13 June 2013, three minibus taxi drivers were arrested at Raapenberg Road for reckless and negligent driving. One of the minibus taxis was carrying 20 passengers instead of the regulated 14; one minibus taxi driver had warrants of arrest outstanding; and the last driver had no public transport permit.

Officers arrested three minibus taxi drivers on charges of reckless and negligent driving on Wednesday 12 June 2013. All three drivers had warrants of arrest outstanding, and all three minibus taxis were overloaded.

On Tuesday 11 June 2013, four minibus taxi drivers were arrested for reckless and negligent driving, also at Raapenberg Road. All four drivers had warrants of arrest outstanding and, once again, all four minibus taxis were overloaded. One of the drivers arrested was transporting learners from a local girls school and had no public transport permit.

Officers arrested four minibus taxi drivers on Monday 10 June 2013. All of the drivers had warrants of arrests outstanding, and had been found to be in contempt of court. Once again, all minibus taxis were overloaded.

“These arrests can be viewed as a serious victory against recklessness and lawlessness on our roads. The operation is evidence of the fact that we take action when complaints are received,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman J.P. Smith.

“All drivers should consider this a warning. As part of our aim to create a Safe City, we must ensure that no leniency is shown to anyone who overloads their vehicle and drives in such a manner that puts the lives of their passengers in danger.” 

End

Channel your road rage: be a traffic spy

 

31 MAY 2013 00:00 CHARLES LEONARD

It's quite easy to become a traffic impimpi. Charles Leonard tells you how you can become one.

There is an old joke about how easy it is to become a traffic cop.

"Give me any number between one and 10."

"Five?"

"Well done, the job is yours!"

Despite the poor public image of traffic officers, it is obviously much more difficult than that. But it is almost as easy as in the joke to become a traffic impimpi (spy), or voluntary public traffic observer (VPTO), to give the not so snappy official title.

You dial 0861400800, a number that belongs to the umbrella body for enforcement, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), get a form and register. If you do not have a criminal record and it is clear you're not just out to take revenge on, say, your ex or your boss, they give you a PIN number and then the revenge on the real bad drivers can start.

"If you see a bad driver you call in and give your PIN number," explains RTMC spokesperson Ashref Ismail. "You then need to give the vehicle's registration number and where and when the incident happened.

"Next we check on ­eNatis [the national vehicle licensing database] and post the bad driver a strongly worded letter. If they get reported repeatedly we will dispatch traffic officers and make sure appropriate steps are taken."

Even though the project was initiated by the department of transport back in 2003 and there are 6000 volunteers (about 1 000 are active), Ismail admits the scheme needs more publicity.

He says the RTMC is working on a relaunch in October during Transport Month and that by then there will be a properly-staffed call centre with sufficient IT to make sure the project functions properly.

"We get an average of 450 complaints a month," Ismail says. "It's about people jumping lights, kids not strapped in, drivers talking on cellphones, others overtaking on a solid line.

"We understand how that can annoy law-abiding drivers. With this project they can do something and avoid road rage."

People who get their kicks dressing up in uniforms will need to apply somewhere else. "It's anonymous, so no uniforms."

It has been effective, says Ismail, "especially where transgressors drive company cars. Some of our reports have led to full disciplinary hearings."

Ismail believes that, when functioning fully, the project will help to bring down the death toll on South African roads.

And don't we need anything that can help to reduce the carnage?

According to the International Transport Forum's road safety annual report for 2013, which was released earlier in May, South Africa fared the worst of the 36 countries polled, with 27.6 road deaths for every 100 000 inhabitants in 2011 (11228 fatal crashes resulting in 13954 fatalities). The lowest was the United Kingdom with 3.1 road deaths per 100 000 inhabitants.

The only other country with more than 20 deaths was Malaysia with 23.8. Other developing countries fared a lot better, with road deaths in Cambodia at 13.1 per 100 000 people, Jamaica at 11.3 for every 100 000 people and Columbia with 12 road deaths per 100 000 people.

"Seat belt use [in South Africa] has been compulsory in both front and rear passenger seats, except for older ... models that do not have rear seat belts," said the report. "However, the wearing rate is very low."

In addition to the human cost, road crashes cost the economy about R307-billion a year, the report says.

Charles Leonard is the news editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper.

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Traffic Services

The City’s Traffic Services arrested 33 motorists for drunk driving this weekend at roadblocks held across the city.

On Thursday 9 May 2013, two Traffic Officers in a Ghost Patrol vehicle were patroling the N2 at Mew Way in the direction of Cape Town, when a grey VW Golf with four persons in it came speeding up behind them. This vehicle was so close to them they could not see the vehicle’s number plate.

The Golf then overtook them at high speed, changing lanes and overtaking other vehicles in a manner that endangered other motorists. The Officers pursued the vehicle  and they managed to stop it at the R300.

When they stopped, the passenger of the Golf jumped out and threw a package over the side of the bridge, releasing some of the contents, later confirmed to be dagga. The driver then got out of the car and informed the Officers that he had a firearm on him.

The Officers recovered a licensed Norinco Star 9mm Pistol with eight rounds and a small amount of dagga. The suspects were arrested and taken to the Khayelitsha Police Station where a case of reckless or negligent driving and possession of dagga was opened against them for further investigation.

On Friday 10 May 2013, another 18 suspects were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol at a roadblock held on Vryburger Avenue, Bothasig. The highest breathalyser reading registered at 1.07mg of alcohol per 1000ml of breath.

On Sunday 12 May 2013, officers conducted an operation focusing on illegal drag-racing in the Sea Point and Bellville areas. Although the Sea Point area was very quiet, the Bellville South area was very busy, with about 200 illegal dragsters congregating at the Sasol garage in Belhar. The South African Police Services (SAPS) were very prominent and did not allow the illegal dragsters to settle down and begin racing.

Officers issued 1028 fines for various offences including:

• 5 vehicles suspended for not being roadworthy.
• 17 fines for talking on cell phone and 17 cell phones were impounded.
• 10 fines issued for disobeying red traffic lights.
• 10 fines issued for failure to display number plates.
• 2 fines were issued for wheel spinning.
• 365 speed offences were registered on Table Bay Boulevard, between Christiaan Barnard and Lower Church Street.
• 199 speed offences were registered on Helen Suzman Boulevard, between Portswood and Buitengracht Street (highest speed 109km/h)
• 280 speed offences were recorded on Vanguard Drive, between Zenith and Heideveld Roads (highest speed 140km/h)
• 111 speed offences were registered on Klipfontein Road between Loch and Vaal Road (highest speed 133km/h)

Also on Sunday, officers arrested 13 suspects for driving under the influence of alcohol at a roadblock held on Blaauwberg Road, between Popham and Marine Circle in Table View. The highest breathalyser reading registered at 0.75mg of alcohol per 1000ml of breath.

Traffic chief doesn't walk the talk

May 9 2013
By SOLLY MAPHUMULO

 

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INLSA

RTMC spokesman Ashref Ismail still has old number plates on his Land Rover. Photo: Brenton Geach

Johannesburg - Road Traffic Management Corporation spokesman Ashref Ismail – who has been vocal about speeding motorists – has outstanding traffic fines for speeding and drives a car with invalid number plates and an expired licence disc.

Displaying false number plates is punishable by a fine or a jail term of up to three years.

The Star can reveal that Ismail has eight traffic fines and owes the Traffic Department R6 500 in fines. Five of these are outstanding and were issued between March 2009 and 2012.

The traffic fines include speeding, driving an unlicensed vehicle and parking in an unauthorised area.

In October last year, Ismail got a speeding fine after he was caught travelling between 91km/h and 95km/h in a 60km zone.

In 2009, he was fined R15 560 for speeding after he was caught travelling between 96km/h and 100km/h in a 60km/h zone.

In April last year, he was issued with a R750 fine in Tshwane for travelling between 101km/h and 105km/h in an 80km zone.

Again in April, Ismail got another R1 000 fine for driving an unlicensed vehicle and another R250 fine for the same offence.

Earlier this year, Ismail said speeding and drinking and driving had contributed heavily to the more than 800 deaths that occurred on the roads during the festive season.

“Major contributory factors remain speeds too high for circumstances, especially at night and during inclement weather, drinking and driving, drinking and walking, and dangerous overtaking on barrier lines in the face of coming traffic,” Ismail had said.

Commenting on Ismail’s fines, Howard Dembovsky, national chairman of the Justice Project South Africa, said: “When any person purports to be an enforcer of traffic laws and a proponent of road safety, as is the case with Mr Ismail, who is in charge of road traffic law enforcement co-ordination at the RTMC, saying ‘do as I say, not as I do’ is disingenuous at best.”

“This is the same man who likes to point fingers at motorists, calling them lawless and saying they have no respect for traffic laws, yet he has eight outstanding Aarto infringement notices against his name, several of which are for speeding at speeds in excess of 20-30km/h over the speed limit,” he said.

In addition, he slammed Ismail for illegally displaying invalid number plates for his motor vehicle as well as a licence disk that expired “more than 43 days ago”.

Ismail’s personalised registration plates read ASHREFGP, while his previous licence number was BD55CJGP.

Ismail said he was a motoring enthusiast and a collector of old, vintage cars and had five of them.

“If there are any fines that have been accumulated, either by the previous owner/s, myself or any of my family members, I am not aware of them.

“I will check what fine for which vehicles are outstanding, and if there are any traffic fines that are against my name that I or my family members are responsible for, (they) will be settled,” he said.

He said the Land Rover was purchased secondhand from a dealer in the south of Joburg in February.

“I requested to have my old personalised plates installed as soon as I had a chance to do so. The car is parked in the RTMC basement (which is where your informer would have seen it) and is not in use until I have had the chance to collect and install the plates,” he said.

But sources told The Star that the vehicle had been going in and out of the basement for the past three months.

“Ashref has been driving that vehicle. It’s not true that he parks it in the basement,” an insider told The Star.

“South Africa’s laws apply to everyone, not just people Mr Ismail chooses to point his finger at,” Dembovsky said.

A traffic officer, who did not want to be named, said displaying an invalid number plate was misleading and amounted to fraud.

“He should be arrested for displaying false number plates. Once you get a personalised number plate, you forfeit the previous one.”

The shareholder committee of the RTMC wants the agency, which manages the country’s roads, to shut down, saying it failed to “fulfil its purpose” in the past 10 years. But the cabinet will have the final say on the matter.

solly.maphumulo@inl.co.za

The Star

Probe after motorist killed by cop

May 6 2013 at 10:27am
By Caryn Dolley

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FACEBOOK

Kyle Weideman had apparently driven through a red traffic light prompting the officer to follow him and pull him over in the Brackenfell area.

Cape Town - A suspected drunk driver was fatally shot by a traffic officer who was driving him to the Kraaifontein police station and who he apparently attacked on the way there - resulting in the shot being fired.

Kyle Weideman, 22, who, according to his Facebook profile, had studied civil engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in Bellville, died early on Saturday. He had apparently driven through a red traffic light prompting the officer to follow him and pull him over in the Brackenfell area.

On Sunday, provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said the officer, a member of the provincial department, had taken Weideman to the Shadow Centre along Vanguard Drive in Athlone where a sample of his blood was taken to see if he had been driving under the influence of alcohol. Africa said the officer had planned to take Weideman to the Kraaifontein police station.

The traffic officer and Weideman had been alone in the vehicle. Africa said, according to information gathered so far, Weideman had started assaulting the officer while he was driving on the N1 highway near Cape Gate Shopping Precinct.

Police spokesman Andre Traut said the officer arrested Weideman around 5.30am at the Okavango off-ramp on the N1 in Brackenfell.

Traut’s information about where the incident happened differed from Africa’s in that Traut said during his arrest, Weideman had attacked the officer.

“The suspect stabbed the traffic officer with a sharp instrument whereafter the suspect was shot and fatally wounded by the officer.”

He said the circumstances surrounding the incident were being probed. A death inquest docket had been registered.

On Weideman’s Facebook page, it said he had graduated in 2010 and worked at Haw and Inglis, a construction company.

Under favourite quotations, it said: “Stick 2 wat is right (sic).”

Condolence messages were posted on a relative’s page. Nico October posted on his page: “Rest In Peace Kyle, my cousin. I am missing you so much! Not even a chance to say goodbye breaks me the most.”

On Saturday, he posted “in total shock” and explained to a Facebook friend it was because of the death of his cousin.

* On Sunday, Africa said 12 roadblocks were held on Friday and another 12 on Saturday. He said 2 087 vehicles had been stopped, 883 drivers were tested for alcohol and of these 37 drunk drivers were arrested.

Africa said when it came to speeding, a 40-year-old woman from Cape Town driving a BMW 5 Series was arrested yesterday between Aberdeen and Beaufort West for driving at 188km/h in a 120km zone.

She was detained in the Beaufort West police station and was expected to appear in a court there on Monday.

caryn.dolley@inl.co.za

Cape Times

Traffic Services Stats

City of Cape Town Traffic Officers arrested 72 suspects during weekend patrols and operations across the city this weekend.

On Sunday 14 April 2013, Officers conducted an operation focusing on illegal drag-racing in the Bellville, Mitchells Plain and Sea Point areas. Officers issued 1463 fines for various offences, including 1278 for speeding along Helen Suzman Boulevard, Vanguard Drive and Eisleben Road.

Also on Sunday, 22 suspects were arrested for drunk driving, at a roadblock held on Sulani and Bonga Roads, Site B, Khayelitsha, 39 other traffic fines were also issued.

On Friday 12 April and Saturday 13 April 2013, Officers implemented a general enforcement approach in Long Street, Cape Town, after complaints from business owners about general noise and traffic mayhem.

Officers worked from 22:00 to 06:00 on both nights and arrested 24 drunk drivers, four motorists for not having the required taxi permits and four more on a total of 38 outstanding warrants of arrest valued at R39 800,00. Furthermore, 11 vehicles were suspended due to unroadworthiness, and a further 436 traffic-related offences were recorded.

At the same time speed enforcement was performed on Table Bay Boulevard, De Waal Drive and Nelson Mandela Boulevard, where 2 037 speed offences were noted. The highest speeds recorded were 180km/h on Table Bay Boulevard and 138km/h on De Waal Drive.

On Friday 12 April, a roadblock on Steve Biko and Walter Sisulu Roads in Harare, Khayelitsha resulted in the arrest of 13 suspects for driving under the influence of alcohol. In addition, 50 traffic violations were also recorded.

On Thursday 11 April, Officers conducted general enforcement along Nelson Mandela Boulevard during the late peak, and impounded 29 cell phones during the operation. A further 249 traffic-related offences were recorded including 173 for disregarding the barrier line and 17 for failing to wear safety belts.

On the same day, speed enforcement was executed along the N2 near Raapenberg Road and Nelson Mandela Boulevard. During this operation 1080 speed offences were recorded.

Also on Thursday, an operation focussing on illegal drag racing was held in the Eerste River area. Two motorists were arrested for reckless driving, as well as another three on charges of drunk driving. A total of 21 additional traffic-related and 324 speed offences were noted.

Crackdown after officer shot dead

April 11 2013 at 08:18am

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INLSA

FLOODED: Two residents lie on the ground as Metro police search their homes in Lavender Hill for illegal goods. Metro police launched a two-week-long anti-crime operation yesterday to rid the area of drugs and illegal weapons. Photo: Brenton Geach

Jason Felix

CAPE TOWN Metro Police have retaliated after the murder of traffic officer Wesley Woodman in Lavender Hill by cracking down on drug dens, conducting foot patrols and searching vehicles – an operation set to continue for the next two weeks, making it the longest of its kind.

Yesterday morning – the first day of Operation Choke – two suspects were arrested for the illegal possession of dagga and tik.

The streets of Lavender Hill and Steenberg teemed with police cars as search warrants were executed at various homes. Residents filled the streets as police ran with sniffer dogs.

Woodman was gunned down by two men on Prince George Drive two weeks ago while he was issuing a traffic fine to motorist Shuaib Afradien, 26. Afradien was also killed. Two men have since been arrested.

Metro police chief Wayne Le Roux said Woodman’s death and recent shootings in the area were believed to be gang-related. Le Roux said they decided “to hit back” to send a clear message to gangs: “We will not back down.”

“The information we have received on the ground indicates that the warfare for drug turf will flare up again. We are bringing in more intelligence, deploying more officers to the area and will keep on doing visible patrols.

“We cannot allow our officers to be killed. We are trying our best to clamp down on guns especially… Taxis have become a target because people sit with drugs and guns in taxis.

“We will conduct roadblocks at all entrances to Lavender Hill in the hope of finding drugs,” he said.

Last week, Metro police confiscated three firearms – an AK47, a Z88 9mm handgun and a LM6 assault rifle.

Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said rewards for information leading to the confiscation of illegal goods would be tabled in the council at the end of the month.

The rewards will vary depending on the quality of the information. “Information that people provide needs to lead to an arrest or confiscation of illegal goods. Money is just print on old paper, people’s lives are worth much more,” he said.

Operation Choke includes traffic officers, the Special Investigating Unit and law enforcement officials. There will also be foot and dog patrols.

Lavender Hill resident Laura Brown, 58, said: “The drugs are a problem in this area. Our children are falling victim to gangs, and we parents are suffering.

“We need more police patrolling the streets, and the shebeens especially. The gangsters are travelling with us in taxis and buses. I don’t know how police will deal with that.”

jason.felix@inl.co.za