Mokopane traffic officer: Muni gives feedback

MOKOPANE – Following the loss of yet another traffic officer in the line of duty earlier this year, the Mogalakwena Municipality has issued a stern statement against those who make themselves guilty of the harassment of traffic officers.

“As South African residents, we need to be responsible citizens and condemn illegal driver behaviour in the strongest possible terms.

“It is a well-known fact that we are obliged to have our drivers licences with us when on the road, our vehicles must be roadworthy and our licences must be up to date. We would like to advise the community to respect law enforcement officers and cooperate with them.”

The statement came in response to a video that was circulated on social media last week, which involves a traffic officer from Mokopane.

Lappies Labuschagne, who has 27 years’ working experience in the department, had according to the statement pulled over the driver of a bakkie last Wednesday in Pretorius Street. Since the driver could not produce a driver’s licence, the vehicle was not roadworthy and the licence disc had expired in October 2023, the vehicle was impounded and taken to the Mogalakwena Municipality’s Traffic and Fire Station for storage. It was also later confirmed that the driver does not have a driver’s licence and that he was also not the owner of the vehicle.

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The municipality confirmed what happened next:

“An hour later, the driver went to the fire station and lied to the security officer saying he was given permission by the MLM traffic chief to collect the vehicle. It was then that our officer found the driver trying to switch on the engine by hotwiring the vehicle. He requested the driver to step out of the vehicle and to leave the municipal premises but the driver refused. Our officer tried to remove him from the vehicle but he resisted, and in a tussle our officer lost his balance and fell.”

The municipality states that the driver’s gesture around the moon bag he was carrying, caused the traffic officer to draw his firearm for protection, even though it was at no point pointed at the driver.

“It was at this point that the driver started taking photos and videos of our officer swearing at him and he also lost his balance.”

The municipality confirmed that they will be opening a case of driving without a valid driver’s licence, driving an unroadworthy vehicle, trespassing, attempting to steal a motor vehicle under false pretence, and a case of interference and intimidation will be opened against the driver’s brother.

“The trend of disrespecting and intimidating law enforcement officers who perform their duties and then taking videos to share them on social media pages, leads to one-sided accounts of what transpired in most instances.

“Before recording the video, the driver was swearing and yelling at our officer for the best part of five minutes. We are regularly losing the lives of our officers who enforce the law on our roads.

“We cannot allow any of the officials to be disrespected by members of the community, and failure to abide by the traffic rules will result in prosecution,” the statement concluded.

Due to the cases having been opened, Labuschagne was not at liberty to comment.

“As members of the community, we tend to abuse the use of social media and people who are committed in protecting us who are on a daily basis being disrespected by drivers and passengers, and nothing is being done to protect them from this abuse,” the statement reads.