Mogale City minibus taxis caught in Gauteng road safety crackdown
Unroadworthy taxis, invalid licences and traffic violations were among the concerns highlighted as authorities stepped up efforts to make Gauteng’s roads safer ahead of the festive season.
Law-enforcement officers issued 50 traffic infringement notices in Mogale City during a province-wide road safety blitz.
The operations, conducted by the Gauteng Transport Inspectorate (GTI) in collaboration with the Road Traffic Management Corporation and other law-enforcement agencies, formed part of the ‘#RemoveSkorokoro’ campaign aimed at improving road safety and ensuring public transport operators comply with the law.
The enforcement operations focused on high-risk public transport corridors, with particular attention given to vehicle roadworthiness, valid documentation, driver compliance and adherence to public transport regulations.
Across the province, GTI officers recorded 140 minibus taxis operating without valid licence discs, while 255 were found operating without valid driving licences. A further 65 minibuses were discontinued after being declared unroadworthy and unsafe for use on public roads.
Crackdown across Gauteng corridors
To strengthen compliance, officers issued 3 532 handwritten Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences infringement notices across the province.
Of these, 909 were issued in Tshwane, 872 in Ekurhuleni, 1 674 in Johannesburg, 32 in Mogale City and three in Sedibeng.
A further 28 notices were recorded in Harrismith in the Free State and 14 in the North West during a multi-disciplinary inter-provincial road safety and traffic enforcement operation along key municipal corridors and cross-border routes.
An additional 3 585 electronic infringement notices were processed through the Inspectorate’s e-Force devices. These included 1 118 in Tshwane, 1 691 in Johannesburg, 705 in Ekurhuleni, 36 in Sedibeng, 18 in Mogale City and 17 in Harrismith.
The operations also resulted in 132 discontinuation notices being issued, comprising 24 in Tshwane, 45 in Ekurhuleni and 63 in Johannesburg.
Arrests and safety warnings
A total of 22 arrests were made during the reporting period, including 16 for driving under the influence, two for fraud, and one each for attempted bribery, possession of a stolen vehicle, interference and contravening immigration laws.
Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela reiterated that removing unroadworthy vehicles from the roads and taking action against non-compliant drivers remain critical to protecting commuters and other road users.
She warned that operating public transport vehicles without valid licence discs and driving without valid driving licences are serious legal violations that undermine road safety and place passengers and other road users at risk.
Diale-Tlabela added that enforcement operations would continue across the province, targeting non-compliant drivers and vehicles to improve road safety and ensure adherence to traffic and public transport legislation ahead of the festive season.
The October results demonstrate the department’s continued commitment to ensuring that public transport operators comply with the law and that unsafe vehicles are removed from Gauteng’s roads.
