TZANEEN: Mbalula urges traffic police to be more strict

The Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula gave a moving speech urging traffic officers to be more strict on the road following accidents that claimed the lives of 42 people on the Limpopo roads.

Speaking at the funeral service of 21 of the 24 youth that perished on the R81 to Ga-Maphalle village on Sunday, June 16, Mbalula stated the importance of having stricter law enforcement and that it was up to the traffic officers to make sure that motorists abide to the rules of the road.

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He urged all motorists to not only be cautious when driving, but to be thoughtful of other people driving on the road too.

“Many lives have been lost due to vehicle accidents and that could have happened to anyone. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves before we step into our vehicles to embark on journeys, whether or not we are putting other people’s lives in danger. But this is not only a message that was brought on by the passing of these young souls who we expected so much from, but also by the fact that we need to start putting ourselves in other people’s shoes before stepping behind the wheel intoxicated or without a license or driving a vehicle that is not roadworthy. We need to start taking the law seriously and maybe, just maybe, we can prevent further incidents occurring due to careless thinking,” Mbalula told the people.

He highlighted how important it was to return road safety to its former glory, stating that it starts with traffic officers who don’t contribute and aid motorists from disregarding the law.

“Just because we have a few bad traffic officers, does not mean that they are all corrupt. Stop taking bribes from people who drive without permits or do not follow the rules of the road because tomorrow, those people who buy you ‘cooldrinks’ are the ones that end up killing your beloved brothers and sisters,” stated Mbalula.

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He further made mention of how it is the responsibility of individuals to not allow themselves to partake in an act that is not just.

“My fellow people, we should stop getting into vehicles, mostly taxi’s that are overloaded just because we are in too much of a rush to get somewhere. Sometimes, we don’t even make it to places because of our impatience on the road and that needs to come to an end now. We cannot continue to lose innocent lives in such a tragic manner,” he exclaimed.

With this, he also spoke on tackling youth unemployment, stating that it is rather unethical for the youth to apply for entry level jobs and still be asked for experience.

The community chanted ‘Amandla, Ngawethu’ with the minister before he closed off his speech.

He stated that the chant was not politically linked, but to encourage the people to believe that power is truly theirs.