Following a spate of road
accidents which have resulted
in several fatalities, the
Minister of Transport, Joe
Maswanganyi, has ordered
an in-depth investigation
into how drivers’ licences and
roadworthy certificates are
processed and issued in the
national testing stations.
The minister has tasked the
Road Traffic Management
Corporation (RTMC) to
conduct an audit of all testing
stations in the country “so that
we can have an appreciation of
how it is possible that so many
incompetent
drivers and
unroadworthy
vehicles could
be on our
roads”.
He added
that it was
equally
important to
understand
the role
played by
private testing
stations
and driving
schools in facilitating the
issuing of documents to
unqualified motorists. “It is
therefore expected that on
the basis of the findings, the
affected individuals will be
called back for re-evaluation,”
Maswanganyi said.
He placed particular
emphasis on commercial
drivers, especially heavy
haul vehicles, highlighting
that roadblocks had revealed
several trucks with “valid”
roadworthy certificates but
with the vehicles themselves
being deemed “criminally
unroadworthy”.
To clamp down on this,
Maswanganyi said traffic
law enforcement officers
would step up roadblocks on
the country’s national and
provincial roads.
He said
investigations
had been
launched into
two recent
major accidents,
including a
major crash on
the N8 between
Botshabelo and
Bloemfontein in
the Free State
province where
a bus and a
truck collided,
resulting in six
fatalities while approximately
54 people sustained injuries.
Furthermore, last Tuesday
on the R541 between the
Machadodorp and Slaaihoek
turnoff in Mpumalanga, a
Mozambican articulated
truck, a midibus and a taxi
minibus were involved in
a head-on collision where
18 people died and 15 were
seriously injured.
Arrive Alive pointed to
the annual road fatality
statistics for 2016 – published
last month by RTMC – as
a “cause for great concern”,
highlighting an ‘urgent need
for combined interventions
from everyone involved in
road safety in South Africa to
curb the rising numbers”.
According to the figures,
14071 people died on South
African roads last year, a 9%
increase on the 2015 figure
of 12 944. This is the highest
annual road death toll since
2007 when 14 920 people died
on South African roads.
Meanwhile Dr Paul
Nordengen, research group
leader: network asset
management systems at the
CSIR Built Environment, has
reiterated that self-regulation
is the only sustainable way of
ensuring that trucks on South
Africa’s roads are roadworthy.
He said a “large majority”
of trucks on SA roads were
not compliant but law
enforcement agents lacked
the resources to enforce
compliance. Therefore the
best approach was a selfgoverning
solution.
“The Road Transport
Management System (RTMS)
has made inroads, and while
we still have a long way to
go, it is yielding significant
positive results.”
A total of 226 fleets,
comprising over 10 000
vehicles, are now RTMS
certified in South Africa.
On the basis of the
findings, affected
individuals will
be called back for
re-evaluation.
– Joe Maswanganyi
Spate of road accidents prompts in-depth investigation into national testing stations.
