A courageous and dedicated team of Emfuleni Local Municipality traffic officers conducted a successful all-female roadblock on the R57 in Bophelong on Thursday (15 August 2019).

To mark Women’s Month in style and in service, officers stopped and checked roadworthy status of vehicles and outstanding fines.
The R57 near the Joko Tea informal settlement was chosen as the location of the roadblock for it connects Vanderbijlpark to Sasolburg, and is known for motorists who drive without valid licences.

In recent times, there also have been rising numbers of suspicious vehicles, some with foreign registration plates, and this has been a significant challenge to deal with for all traffic officers of Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM).

However, the secondary purpose of the roadblock was to roll-out a door-to-door road safety campaign in Joko Tea, after it emerged that there were pedestrians, particularly children, who were injured or killed in hit and run crashes.

Shacks in Joko Tea are built dangerously close to the R57 and in recent years, this has been a road safety nightmare for traffic officers of the municipality.

The law enforcement operation was joined by fellow female officers from the South African Police Services (SAPS) and the municipality’s By-Law Department.

In addition to traffic offences, SAPS officers also searched vehicles for drugs and illegal weapons.

By-Law Department Superintendent Suzan Gaba made a brief appearance at the roadblock to offer her support to hard-working colleagues.
ELM Acting Deputy Chief for Law-Enforcement, Mantlhake Moeti and Superintendent in the Speed Section, Esther Monate led the roadblock.
“One death is one too many,” they said, highlighting the scourge of drunken driving on our roads.

“We urge motorists to stop using cell-phones while driving,” said Deputy Chief Moeti.
“We strongly advise all drivers to discontinue drinking and driving,” said Superintendent Monate.

ELM Acting Deputy Chief for Law-Enforcement, Mantlhake Moeti distributes road safety pamphlets to a resident of Joko Tea.

By Bianca Thatyana
Intern at Communications