Neighbourhood watch to meet with MEC over green light issues

THE Kloof Neighbourhood Watch is hoping to meet with the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Willies Mchunu, to resolve issues surrounding the use of green patrol lights after the watch was fined yet again for using these lights.

The neighbourhood watch was recently fined for driving a car while using a light that was not authorised or prescribed by the National Road Traffic Act.

The Kloof Community Policing Forum chairman, Corné Brooderyk, said the green lights, which have been used for the past four years, have become a beacon of hope and safety for Kloof residents.

“When we founded the watch four years ago we got in contact with Metro Police and SAPS on a local level and explained our structure to them, and that we were going to use green patrol lights. They gave us permission to use these lights and have been on board since. The watch’s relationship with SAPS has improved threefold since,” Brooderyk said.

But this working relationship has been marred in recent weeks by the ongoing fining of patrol vehicles for the use of green patrol lights, which, according to the Department of Transport, are used by disaster management units. In the past few weeks, Brooderyk said the patrol vehicles have been fined four times, at R500 a fine.

“From the beginning we told patrollers that they use the green lights at their own risk. We aren’t arguing the fact that we are using the lights illegally, but I’ve received calls from neighbourhood watches all over South Africa that said they too use green lights when patrolling,” he said.

Brooderyk said they hoped to arrange a meeting with Mchunu early next week to resolve the issue: “We don’t mind changing the colour of our patrol lights, as long as it’s not white, as white lights are reserved for security companies. But we refuse to pay for a permit to use patrol lights as it’s just another way for government to get money from us. We offer this service to the community for free, often at our own expense.”

He said other neighbourhood watches also don’t have permits, but added they had permission from local authorities to use their green patrol lights.

The Department of Transport will comment shortly.