4 Oct 2011
Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has instructed officials to leave no stone unturned in their investigation into yesterday’s (3 October) horror crash in the Free State which claimed the lives of five learners and four teachers, following allegations that the driver of the truck was not in possession of a professional driving permit (PrDP) and was not supposed to be driving the vehicle.
“We have instructed officials to leave no stone unturned in their investigation into yesterday’s (3 October) horror crash in the Free State which claimed the lives of five learners and four teachers, following allegations that the driver of the truck was not in possession of a PrDP and was not supposed to be driving the vehicle. We are also engaging with the South African Police and Directorate of Public Prosecutions to ensure that in cases where drivers intentionally violate road traffic rules, and drive in a reckless manner resulting in death, those drivers should be charged with murder,” said Minister Ndebele.
Following the spate of major fatal crashes involving public transport vehicles, the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s (RTMC’s) National Traffic Police (NTP) conducted special blitzes at depots of the operators whose vehicles were involved in the fatal crash yesterday (3 October) in Harrismith, in the Free State that claimed nine lives.
In the mid-morning operation yesterday (3 October), depots in Gauteng belonging to Slabbert Burger Transport and Eldo Coaches were inspected by the NTP for vehicle fitness, safety protocols and transport records. Of the twenty nine (29) vehicles found on the Eldo Coaches premises, five buses, one tow truck and light delivery vehicle were found to be defective and were discontinued from service.
The East Rand depot of Slabbert Burger Transport company was inspected next, and five of the seventy four (74) vehicles were found to be defective and discontinued from service. The most common defects were brakes, tyres, windscreens, severe oil leaks and faded chevrons and contour markings. (Vehicles that are discontinued have their licence discs removed and have to undergo a test within 14 days before they are allowed back on the road). Simultaneous operations were also conducted at these companies’ depots in Mpumalanga, Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal.
As part of efforts to curb road deaths, the RTMC together with provincial and municipal traffic authorities will continue to visit various depots, taxi ranks and bus stations at random. Where fatal crashes occur because of un-roadworthiness, the certificate of fitness will be examined, as well as the testing station where the certificate was issued to make sure that there are no discrepancies.
More than 1 500 un-roadworthy buses and taxis have been taken off South Africa’s roads last month (September 2011), following Minister Ndebele’s instruction on 31 August that every bus and taxi must be stopped and checked.
From 31 August to 25 September 2011, 194,962 public transport vehicles were stopped and checked; 783 mini-buses, 501 buses, 210 scholar transport vehicles and 253 trucks discontinued from use; 39 934 fines issued for various public transport offences; more than 825 public transport drivers arrested including 168 for drunk driving, 552 for overloading, 55 for excessive speed, 17 for reckless and/or negligent driving and 88 in connection with public transport permits.
Further, on 26 September the Mpumalanga safety department reported that four traffic officers, who were charged with corruption, bribery and failing to comply with the Criminal Procedure Act, were fired. In July, three of the officers were caught in Malelane after they helped a motorist transport illegal goods into the country in exchange for money. The fourth officer was caught taking a bribe from a taxi driver in Barberton.
In the Western Cape, transport officials have reported that almost 50 drivers have been sentenced to jail for drunk driving in the past year. Since 1 October 2010, 664 drivers have been sentenced in the province for drunk-driving offences, 47 of whom were sent directly to jail without the option of paying fines or serving another type of sentence. One was jailed for four years, six for three years and the remaining 40 for between six months and two-and-a-half years. A further 12 had their licences cancelled.
As part of the new National Rolling Enforcement Plan (NREP) announced by Minister Ndebele on 10 September 2010, from October 2010 to August 2011, 12 984 120 vehicles and drivers were checked, 5 540 275 fines issued for various traffic offences, 18 527 drunk drivers arrested and 50 272 un-roadworthy vehicles (the majority of which are buses and taxis) discontinued from use.
“As government, we will continue to go all out to ensure safe roads through implementation of a comprehensive road safety strategy focusing on education, enforcement and engineering in line with the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020. We will win the war against road deaths, but each and every one of us must put more effort into it,” Minister Ndebele said.
Meanwhile, the RTMC, in collaboration with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, Department of Basic Education, Transnet, BP South Africa and the Road Accident fund will host the National Road Safety Debates Competition, aimed at secondary school learners, on 5 October from 10h00 at the Coastlands Hotel & Conference Centre, uMhlanga, eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.
Further, Minister Ndebele will host Transport Ministers from member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) from 5 to 7 October in Pretoria. The SADC Decade of Action for Road Safety will be officially launched on 7 October in Pretoria. SADC supports the United Nations (UN) call for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020, through harmonisation of road safety initiatives in the region.
Enquiries:
Ashref Ismail
Road Traffic Management Corporation
Cell: 071 680 3448
Issued by: Department of Transport
4 Oct 2011
| Fishing Report SA | Ndiza Lodge | StLuciaOrgZa | iSimangaliso | Elephant Coast |
Join OfferForge and become a super-affiliate
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please Leave a message