RTMC ON MEDIA REPORTS REGARDING NATIONAL TRAFFIC POLICE
Acting CEO of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) Mr. Collins Letsoalo saysthat yesterday's (17 December) media reports by Independent Newspapers, eTV and Eyewitness News that South Africa's nine-month old National Traffic Police (NTP) is in a "total mess" are inaccurate, misleading and sensational (see here).
The RTMC, in conjunction with the entire traffic law enforcement fraternity, is currently going all out to ensure safer roads in South Africa, particularly during this festive season. As part of the December holiday road safety plan, a detailed operational plan is being executed daily by the NTP during two 12-hour shifts, focusing on high impact operations to minimize road deaths. We will not be distracted or side-tracked.
In this regard, comments attributed to Western Cape Transport MEC Robin Carlisle that the NTP is "banned" from entering the Western Cape are rather unfortunate. The new democratic dispensation removed borders within the Republic of South Africa.
In terms of the Constitution, traffic law enforcement is a national, provincial and local competency. There are approximately 2,000 provincial traffic officers in the country, at least 15,000 traffic officers are employed by local government and 286 officers attached to the NTP. Based on an analysis of high accident frequency locations as well as traffic offence surveys, over the past nine months the NTP has played a key role in implementation of the National Rolling Enforcement Plan (NREP), Operation Swara Setagwa with zero tolerance on drunk driving as well as Operation Nomakanjani. The NTP has also been at the forefront of specialized inter-provincial public transport enforcement, focusing on buses and mini-bus taxis in Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo conducting special blitzes at bus stops, bus depots, taxi ranks, truck stops, weighbridges and toll gates.
Over the past three months (September, October, November), more than 3,500 public transport and freight drivers have been arrested as part of pre-December holiday traffic law enforcement operations and following Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele's instruction that every bus and taxi must be stopped and checked. Last month alone (November), 365,671 buses, mini-bus taxis and trucks were checked and 66,003 fines issued for various traffic offences. One thousand seven hundred and fifty two (1,752) un-roadworthy mini-bus taxis, 981 trucks and 312 buses were taken off the roads.
The NTP has not been to other provinces as yet, including the Western Cape. However, should the need arise for the NTP to assist in any province, the NTP will go there. The NTP operates within a legislative framework and cannot be "banned" from any jurisdiction where its services are needed. MEC Carlisle should therefore ask himself why certain sections of the media have deliberately chosen to ignore all other eight Transport MECs, and only solicit his views on this matter?
Given the high number of road deaths in the country and in line with the objectives of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety, last year (2010) Minister Ndebele committed to the establishment of a specialised National Traffic Intervention Unit to bolster operations and interventions of existing traffic law enforcement agencies in dealing with, particularly, high accident frequency locations. On 29 March 2011, 231 traffic officers, who formed part of the first batch of recruits of the NTP, graduated in Tshwane.
This unit, which has been in operation for less than a year and is based in Tshwane, currently focuses on high profile, high impact and visible traffic enforcement operations at hazardous locations and at critical days and times in order to make a meaningful impact on offences and road deaths. In addition to the requisite traffic officers' diploma, officers of the unit have undergone additional training in the use of special law enforcement equipment.
Fifty two (52) members underwent tactical training by the SAPS, while two officials have just returned from Germany where they attended a special training course in accident investigation and re-construction and will transfer skills to select team members. Other NTP members have undergone specialized training in dealing with heavy goods vehicle inspection. Further training and development remains an integral part of the unit's capacity building programme.
The Unit is working closely with provincial and municipal traffic enforcement agencies in Gauteng, and neighbouring provinces, to ensure that the province with the highest number of vehicles, and, invariably, the greatest traffic management challenges, is addressed.
As is the case with any new (nine-month-old) institution, there will be teething challenges and these are being addressed.
But, let's not have a problem for every solution.
Road safety is everybody's responsibility.
Statement issued by Collins Letsoalo, Acting CEO, RTMC, December 18 2011
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