Stance crews: ‘We are not comitting any crime’

Stance is a culture of customising and modifying motor vehicles and has been popular under young people, however, stancers encounter problems with traffic officials who deem their cars unroadworthy because of modifications made.

Stancers around Polokwane gathered at the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex last weekend to form a convoy and drive around town in protest against the ‘criminalisation’ of stancing which they deem a harmless pastime. The convoy went around town to show their disgruntlement at the alleged treatment that they are receiving.

One stancer, Peter Mangena expressed dismay at the treatment they receive from traffic officers. “The traffic officers claim that our lowered cars are not road worthy because they are too low, but how is a lowered car defying the law? We are the most cautious drivers out there, that is why you never see a stanced car in an accident, and our cars are always well maintained, lowering them does not change anything,” he said. He further highlighted that it is not the stance culture that adjusts the suspension, some motorists also adjust suspensions to get their vehicles higher but they are not troubled by police on the road. Mokaba pleaded that the traffic officers allow them to enjoy the stance culture in peace because for them it serves as a way of uniting them as fans.

Archie Seshoene who also took part in the protest said that stancers being treated like criminals needs to stop because they are not breaking any laws. “Enough is enough. We are not doing anything wrong; we do not know why they are stopping us,” he said.

The Municipality’s Spokesperson, Disree Manyane explained that the modification/ lowering of vehicles vary. “The law stipulates that if you modify a vehicle, the manufacturer certificate has to be updated. The wheel arch, which is the distance between the body and the tyre is regulated. The vehicle safety on public roads is compromised and the same vehicle becomes a dangerous object to other roads users” she said. She added that insurance companies won’t cover a physically modified car without updated manufacturer certificate by the registered car modification company/bodies.