A traffic officer has died after being run over by an alleged drunk driver in Rustenburg in the North West on Tuesday (November 3). 

Rendani Maluta (41), a provincial inspector at the Rustenburg Provincial Traffic Station, was on duty with other traffic officers when he tried to stop a bakkie. 

According to the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management, the bakkie driver reportedly passed several stop signs on Bophuthatswana Street towards Meriting, near the R510. 

The department said that according to the information it received, Maluta tried to stop the driver but was instead hit by the vehicle’s front right fender. 

Officers pursue driver 

“The driver fled the scene, and the other officers chased the vehicle with the backup of police, and the suspect, [who was allegedly] drunk, was arrested,” added the department. 

The driver is expected to appear in the Tlhabane Magistrate’s Court today (November 5). 

MEC Tsotso Tlhapi described Maluta, who served the department for 14 years, as a ‘dedicated officer’. 

“It is regrettable that we have lost one of our own as a result of a reckless and [alleged] drunk driver. Now we are ending the year with such bad news. Our numbers have gone down ahead of the festive season, the time we need to be more visible on the road to save lives,” said Tlhapi. 

Tlhapi applauded the swift response of Maluta’s colleagues and the police who apprehended the driver. 

“His arrest won’t bring back PI Maluta, but justice must prevail.” 

Tlhapi appealed to road users to be responsible and drive sensibly as the festive season begins. 

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