State vehicles are being abused
Citizens are fed up with seeing officers of the law blatantly abuse their power and taxpayers' money.
IRATE taxpayers have blown the whistle on law enforcement officers whom they claim are abusing state vehicles to drive children to and from school and go shopping.
And there are photographs to prove it.
One whistle blower said a police double cab was parked outside a local high school for at least 20 minutes, the officer just chilling while waiting for the school bell to ring.
A few minutes later, another clearly marked police vehicle pulled up with two policewomen inside.
“They stopped briefly and the passenger climbed out to load a child’s school books and bag.
“We are the taxpayers! They are using our money to collect their children, yet when you phone the station with a problem they say they don’t have a vehicle available,” said the caller.
She added that vehicles from other government departments were also regularly seen dropping off and picking up pupils.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Zandra Wiid said that abuse of vehicles would be investigated internally. “We want to urge the community to report such incidents to us,” she said.
Last Friday, a businessman photographed a Road Traffic Inspectorate vehicle parked in a loading zone on Wooley Street in the Port Shepstone CBD.
The officer had gone shopping.
A concerned Uvongo resident also sent in a photograph of a government ambulance that stopped just before the Sasol garage in Margate last Thursday at about 5pm.
The driver got out, opened the door and let three women out.
Then a police vehicle was snapped parked in the handicapped zone outside the Port Shepstone licensing office two weeks ago. When the officer was approached by a passerby the officer’s response was: ‘Voetsak’.
Stop-start policing in Harding
On the other hand, traffic officers in Harding are battling to carry out their duties due to poorly maintained vehicles.
The Herald was informed that officers had to carry water in their vehicles in case they overheated.
Other problems included oil leaks, worn tyres due to faulty wheel alignment, no spare wheels or equipment. In some cases, they had to call Port Shepstone RTI to respond to incidents in Harding.
They also complained of poor pay.
HCM spokesman Simon April and the uMuziwabantu (Harding) municipalty are still to comment.
