If you have hit the bottle hard, have pending traffic fines or your car is not in a good condition, don’t even attempt to drive on any of the Eastern Cape roads this coming Easter weekend.
Eastern Cape transport, safety and liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana has promised a zero-tolerance approach will be instituted against any road vi olation.
“We have been warning people, and they must know that we won’t be laughing. If you must be arrested, you will be arrested. We will impound cars that are not supposed to be on the roads,” she said.
Yesterday, the MEC spent the day in the OR Tambo district, where she presided over a massive roadblock along the R61 between Mthatha and Libode.
The initiative formed part of the official launch of the provincial Easter weekend road safety campaign, which also saw Tikana leading a mass prayer at the Rotary stadium in Ngangelizwe township in Mthatha in the evening.
According to statistics from the MEC’s officials who were at the roadblock, traffic fines amounting t o more than R83000 had already been issued to motorists between 7am and 10am for road violations.
These included driving without a valid driver’s licence, drunk driving and possession of dagga.
Tikana said she had chosen OR Tambo district for the launch because of the taxi violence that has gripped the area since last year, culminating in the closure of some profitable routes and no less than three taxi ranks.
Last week, the Dispatch reported that the MEC had agreed to relax the sanctions on warring taxi associations if they agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding, and promised that not another life would be lost through taxi violence. She gave them until yesterday to sign the document.
Tikana said the agreement would be applied across the province.
She told the media yesterday that while talks between the government and taxi associations continued, they wanted to raise safety awareness among drivers, passengers and pedestrians. “Remember, people will be using them to go to church during Easter weekend.”
She wanted the public to be aware of the agreement on the table.
Mthatha motorist Mongezi Bubu, who was among those stopped by Tikana and her team at yesterday's roadblock, gave the initiative the thumbs up. He called for everyone to keep stray animals off roads.
The MEC said her department was building provincial animal pounds, and officials would continue to issue livestock owners with reflector belts for their animals.
“Many accidents happen at night when drivers cannot see the animals on the road,” she said.
“But the number of people killed has gone down now.”
Tikana said she and officials hoped to continue keeping the number of fatalities down during this Easter, as they had done over the Christmas season. —– sikhon@dispatch.co.za
Zero tolerance approach on EC roads over Easter
Eastern Cape transport, safety and liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana has promised a zero-tolerance approach will be instituted against any road vi olation.
“We have been warning people, and they must know that we won’t be laughing. If you must be arrested, you will be arrested. We will impound cars that are not supposed to be on the roads,” she said.
Yesterday, the MEC spent the day in the OR Tambo district, where she presided over a massive roadblock along the R61 between Mthatha and Libode.
The initiative formed part of the official launch of the provincial Easter weekend road safety campaign, which also saw Tikana leading a mass prayer at the Rotary stadium in Ngangelizwe township in Mthatha in the evening.
According to statistics from the MEC’s officials who were at the roadblock, traffic fines amounting t o more than R83000 had already been issued to motorists between 7am and 10am for road violations.
These included driving without a valid driver’s licence, drunk driving and possession of dagga.
Tikana said she had chosen OR Tambo district for the launch because of the taxi violence that has gripped the area since last year, culminating in the closure of some profitable routes and no less than three taxi ranks.
Last week, the Dispatch reported that the MEC had agreed to relax the sanctions on warring taxi associations if they agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding, and promised that not another life would be lost through taxi violence. She gave them until yesterday to sign the document.
Tikana said the agreement would be applied across the province.
She told the media yesterday that while talks between the government and taxi associations continued, they wanted to raise safety awareness among drivers, passengers and pedestrians. “Remember, people will be using them to go to church during Easter weekend.”
She wanted the public to be aware of the agreement on the table.
Mthatha motorist Mongezi Bubu, who was among those stopped by Tikana and her team at yesterday's roadblock, gave the initiative the thumbs up. He called for everyone to keep stray animals off roads.
The MEC said her department was building provincial animal pounds, and officials would continue to issue livestock owners with reflector belts for their animals.
“Many accidents happen at night when drivers cannot see the animals on the road,” she said.
“But the number of people killed has gone down now.”
Tikana said she and officials hoped to continue keeping the number of fatalities down during this Easter, as they had done over the Christmas season. —– sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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