Gauteng removes over 100 unroadworthy minibuses

Road safety remains a top priority in Gauteng, with authorities reaffirming that removing unroadworthy vehicles from the road is critical to preventing crashes, injuries and fatalities, especially in the public and scholar transport sector.

The Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, said the discontinuation of unsafe vehicles plays a key role in protecting commuters and other road users, as intensified law enforcement operations recently led to the removal of more than 100 unroadworthy minibuses from Gauteng roads.

The stop-and-search operations were carried out by the Gauteng Transport Inspectorate (GTI) in collaboration with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) between February 1 and 7. The operations focused on key public and scholar transport routes across Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.

During inspections, officers identified serious mechanical defects that posed a direct risk to passenger safety. These included faulty braking systems, worn tyres, non-functioning headlights, brake lights and indicators, as well as cracked windscreens.

In addition to discontinuing unroadworthy vehicles, officers targeted non-compliant operators. More than 500 manual infringement notices were issued, while a further 667 electronic infringement notices were processed using GTI’s e-Force enforcement devices. Over 150 discontinue notices were also issued to motorists operating in violation of traffic regulations.

Non-compliance offences identified during the operations included 108 minibus taxi operators driving without valid driving licences and 52 minibuses operating without valid licence discs.

The operations also addressed broader criminal activity, resulting in 11 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Diale-Tlabela reiterated the province’s firm stance on road safety, saying profit will not be allowed to come before people’s lives.

“Any vehicle posing a threat to commuters or road users has no place on Gauteng roads, and that non-compliance will be met with the full force of the law,” she warned.

She added that enforcement operations are conducted across the entire province and form part of the #Tackling13 initiative, which focuses on addressing high-impact challenges.

“The initiative aims to curb lawlessness, combat criminal activity and strengthen compliance with traffic legislation, with a strong focus on the public and scholar transport sector,” the MEC concluded.