On the eve of the Eastern Cape’s festive season road safety campaign launch held in Gqeberha on Friday, two dozen people were arrested for drunk driving across Nelson Mandela Bay.
Community safety & transport MEC Xolile Nqatha said the arrests proved the need to continuously educate people about road safety, particularly the dangers of drinking and driving.
The campaign, hosted by the Eastern Cape Liquor Board, was launched along the M4 on Friday morning, with traffic backed up for about 2km along Settlers Way.
Nqatha said 2023’s campaign helped reduce road fatalities, thanks to the collaboration of different departments.
“We are encouraged, as a department, by the increasing levels of integration between [different] spheres of government and sector departments.
“Because of this co-operation, we are able to use both our financial and human resources more effectively.
“As a result, last year the province surpassed the target for the reduction of road fatalities.
“We were just above 21%.
“We are building on this work to ensure we save lives and ensure there’s a safer festive season,” Nqatha said.
The metro will get an additional 127 traffic officers to boost law enforcement as part of the campaign.
Nqatha urged motorists to be patient and obey the rules of the road.
“The police and traffic officers will not negotiate the law, they will enforce it.
“Unroadworthy vehicles will be taken off the road and those who drink and drive will be arrested.
“We probably saved many lives by arresting the 25 transgressors yesterday,” Nqatha said.
The campaign is being held in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Bay traffic department, which will conduct several roadblocks in the city throughout the festive season to enforce the law.
Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe said during a roadblock in November, law enforcement officers confiscated an illegal firearm.
“We’ve promised our citizens that we will provide a safe festive season, and we have emphasised the importance of ensuring the safety of this city as an economic hub of the province at an intergovernmental level.”
Lobishe said other interventions to ensure safety in the Bay were already under way with security cameras already installed in strategic areas of the city.
“We’ve also rolled out our metal detectors to remove all illegal guns on our streets so any roadblock we conduct will have the detectors.
“In our previous roadblock, we confiscated an illegal gun with a chiselled serial number.
“We don’t know the person’s intentions but don’t need such [illegal weapons] in our communities.
“We consider these exercises as necessary because we know criminals travel by vehicle too.”
Economic development, environmental affairs & tourism MEC Nonkqubela Pieters said the liquor board had a responsibility to educate people about drinking and driving.
“We know that during the festive season many people drink and drive and this behaviour contributes to fatalities on the roads [and it] needs to stop,” Pieters said.
“This year we are not only focusing on motorists but pedestrians as well, they must not be on the road when under the influence of alcohol, for their own safety.
“We want a festive season that’s free of alcohol on the roads and that is safe for locals and the tourists that will descend upon our province so they can return and speak well of our province.”
HeraldLIVE
Dozens arrested for drunk driving on eve of road safety campaign launch
Image: WERNER HILLS
On the eve of the Eastern Cape’s festive season road safety campaign launch held in Gqeberha on Friday, two dozen people were arrested for drunk driving across Nelson Mandela Bay.
Community safety & transport MEC Xolile Nqatha said the arrests proved the need to continuously educate people about road safety, particularly the dangers of drinking and driving.
The campaign, hosted by the Eastern Cape Liquor Board, was launched along the M4 on Friday morning, with traffic backed up for about 2km along Settlers Way.
Nqatha said 2023’s campaign helped reduce road fatalities, thanks to the collaboration of different departments.
“We are encouraged, as a department, by the increasing levels of integration between [different] spheres of government and sector departments.
“Because of this co-operation, we are able to use both our financial and human resources more effectively.
“As a result, last year the province surpassed the target for the reduction of road fatalities.
“We were just above 21%.
“We are building on this work to ensure we save lives and ensure there’s a safer festive season,” Nqatha said.
The metro will get an additional 127 traffic officers to boost law enforcement as part of the campaign.
Nqatha urged motorists to be patient and obey the rules of the road.
“The police and traffic officers will not negotiate the law, they will enforce it.
“Unroadworthy vehicles will be taken off the road and those who drink and drive will be arrested.
“We probably saved many lives by arresting the 25 transgressors yesterday,” Nqatha said.
The campaign is being held in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Bay traffic department, which will conduct several roadblocks in the city throughout the festive season to enforce the law.
Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe said during a roadblock in November, law enforcement officers confiscated an illegal firearm.
“We’ve promised our citizens that we will provide a safe festive season, and we have emphasised the importance of ensuring the safety of this city as an economic hub of the province at an intergovernmental level.”
Lobishe said other interventions to ensure safety in the Bay were already under way with security cameras already installed in strategic areas of the city.
“We’ve also rolled out our metal detectors to remove all illegal guns on our streets so any roadblock we conduct will have the detectors.
“In our previous roadblock, we confiscated an illegal gun with a chiselled serial number.
“We don’t know the person’s intentions but don’t need such [illegal weapons] in our communities.
“We consider these exercises as necessary because we know criminals travel by vehicle too.”
Economic development, environmental affairs & tourism MEC Nonkqubela Pieters said the liquor board had a responsibility to educate people about drinking and driving.
“We know that during the festive season many people drink and drive and this behaviour contributes to fatalities on the roads [and it] needs to stop,” Pieters said.
“This year we are not only focusing on motorists but pedestrians as well, they must not be on the road when under the influence of alcohol, for their own safety.
“We want a festive season that’s free of alcohol on the roads and that is safe for locals and the tourists that will descend upon our province so they can return and speak well of our province.”
HeraldLIVE
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