Law enforcers in it for the long haul
The serious complications caused by the congestion at the Lebombo Border Post saw discussions being held at the local police station on Monday.
The meeting was held in the lapa at the Komatipoort Police Station, where the detective commander Capt Skhumbuzo Ceko invited National Traffic Police, traffic officials and stakeholders affected by the border dilemma, to discuss the crime that rose significantly.
According to Ceko, a task team has already been deployed to investigate the areas where criminal activity has been recorded, but
they are not there to supervise the truck drivers that do not follow the traffic rules.
“We need to work together to resolve the crime that occurs on the N4 between the BP Petrol Station and the Lebombo Border, and to please warn taxi drivers about the dangers of walking to BP to Lebombo Port of Entry,” said Ceko.
Provincial Traffic Officer Sitembiso Mlambo brought up the excruciating obstacles the truck drivers cause on the N4. He explained that truck drivers tell officers that their transporting papers were organised by specific clearing agencies to be collected at the border and that drivers jump the queue because their jobs are on the line if they do not meet deadlines.
“Truck drivers should not be prioritised if they already have their transporting documents. If they have papers or not, they still need to queue up,” said Mlambo. Clearing agencies were asked at the meeting to create a forum where traffic officials on duty can have an easy system to track drivers’ transporting papers.
Lt Col Henry Nobela, the second-in-charge border commander, attended the meeting in the hopes that the National Traffic Police and traffic officials can work together with the border to take full control of the snail-paced traffic.
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“Trucks are causing suffering and disorder everyday by being recklessly driven and causing traffic. The issue of trucks is a challenge, especially in the morning, and now that we are approaching festive season, it is going to be a big problem as the truck drivers ignore the rules of the road,” Nobela said.
An agreement was made at the meeting that the stakeholders, SAPS and traffic officials would work together to resolve the crime and traffic issues through the festive seasons. A follow-up meeting will be held on Monday December 13.
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