MIDDELBURG – The Steve Tshwete municipality has declared a war on non-compliance and unsafe road behaviour, launching a road safety campaign during the busy Easter weekend, from April 17 to 21, with plans to continue long after.
During the high-traffic holiday period, municipal traffic officers, under the leadership of MMC for Public Safety Joseph Ngubeni, were deployed across the area to monitor compliance and ensure the safety of motorists, aiming to prioritise and promote safer road use.
Ngubeni told Highveld Chronicle that his focus goes beyond just high-traffic periods like Easter. “We are not doing this because it’s Easter weekend. Traffic officers need to be seen on the road all year round,” he said. “What we’ve started here will continue 24/7, ensuring we prevent negligent and reckless driving, which could result in road crashes, injuries, and fatalities. This demonstrates our commitment to intensifying road safety.”
A multi-disciplinary law enforcement effort was conducted, including vehicle stop-and-search inspections, issuing traffic fines, checking fines, and inspecting public transport permits. In total, 258 fines, including normal and speeding fines, were issued, 54 warrants of arrest were executed, and 21 illegal hawkers had their goods confiscated.
Ngubeni, a member of the EFF, was later joined by his superiors, Poppy Setsoalo, a Member of Parliament, and Khanya Ceza, Permanent Delegate to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). They interacted with motorists, especially those transporting the public, urging them to obey all road rules.
