THE Polokwane mayor, Thembi Nkadimeng and other senior female personnel joined female traffic officials in operating a roadblock in Thabo Mbeki Street in Polokwane on Friday as part of celebrating Women’s Month.
Of the 64 city traffic officials, 11 are female. Motorists were surprised to be introduced to the mayor and the municipal manager when they were stopped at the roadblock.
For some, the surprise blitz was not a happy experience, however. One man’s bakkie was summarily towed away because it was not roadworthy and the vehicle’s licence was last renewed in 2010.
Taxi owners not adhering to regulations were fined, as they either did not have fire extinguishers, the extinguishers were not in working order, or they were not equipped with a reflective caution triangle. Permits and public drivers’ permits were also checked and driving without the necessary driving licence earned the drivers a R500 fine each, and a R200 fine was issued for failing to produce a driver’s licence. Nkadimeng was shown how the Dräger Alcotest worked. This equipment is used to test alcohol levels by testing breath samples and is mostly used in conjunction with a blood test if it indicates a blood alcohol level higher than the allowed limit.
Some motorists found their licences had expired and they were fined R500. A total of 32 fines were issued and 172 vehicles stopped.
