Greater Giyani Municipality clamps down on traffic offenders
The era of dodging traffic fines around the Greater Giyani Municipality (GGM) has come to an end with the implementation of a new integrated traffic management system which, through cameras, is able to monitor the roads, issue speeding tickets and block licence renewal on offending drivers.
GIYANI – The system, which has seen road surveillance cameras installed on the R81 and other internal streets around GGM, is operated by an external contractor who is paid a flat rate of R79 per ticket regardless of its amount.
The system has been in operation since April this year.
Speaking during a roadblock operation which the municipality had set up to catch offending motorists using the new system, the Portfolio Head for Roads and Transports in the municipality, Basani Shibambu, said the system was working well and had captured over
8 000 tickets worth more than R1 million in April alone.
“We hope this system will help reduce lawlessness on our roads as the offenders will be fined and prevented from renewing their licences if they owed the municipality,” she explained, adding this would help foster a culture of good and responsible road behaviour in the municipality.
The new system is expected to boost the municipality’s revenue through the collection of traffic fines.
According to her, the municipality plans to set up a series of roadblocks each month to collect traffic fines from offending motorists.
“Those whom we catch with outstanding tickets on our roadblocks would be required to pay upfront or will be given seven days to pay before a warrant of arrest is issued against them,” she said.
She urged all the motorists to obey the traffic rules while driving on the municipality’s roads since there were cameras that were monitoring the roads.
“You don’t want to be caught out with outstanding tickets while trying to renew your licence so pay your traffic fines now to avoid the embarrassment,” she said.
