Roadblock crackdown in South Africa – Joburg launching new ‘three-strike’ system
While the Department of Transport (DoT) plans to implement a 24/7 shift schedule for traffic police by March 2025, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) has vowed to use a new ‘three-strike system’ to crack down on unroadworthy vehicles.
South Africa faces an alarming road safety crisis, with unroadworthy vehicles significantly contributing to the country’s high rate of road accidents.
Every year, thousands of preventable crashes occur due to poorly maintained vehicles, endangering not only the drivers but also passengers and pedestrians.
Many vehicles on South Africa’s roads fail to meet basic safety standards, posing a grave risk to everyone on the road.
The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) has made it clear that the enforcement of road safety laws will be strict and uncompromising, using a new three-strike system.
The JMPD said on Wednesday (2 October) that “any vehicle found with three or more defects will be immediately discontinued from operating on public roads.“
The department added that officers at roadblocks will be looking for the following:
- Leaking engine oil
- Defective lights
- Faulty rear brakes
- Worn tyres
- Broken windscreens and
- Malfunctioning indicators.
Law enforcement officers will not hesitate to discontinue and even impound vehicles with the above defects, including cracked windscreens.
The JMPD’s message is straightforward: “Compliance is not negotiable.”
This tough stance is designed to improve road safety and reduce the number of accidents caused by vehicles that are unfit to be on the road.
It also serves as a reminder to all drivers and vehicle owners to take responsibility for the condition of their vehicles.
Regular maintenance is crucial not only for personal safety but also for legal requirements that should not be ignored.
The continued presence of unroadworthy vehicles exacerbates South Africa’s already dire road safety situation, and stricter enforcement is a necessary step toward saving lives.
24/7 shift schedule
South Africans can expect more traffic police presence and roadblocks on the roads as the DoT plans to implement a 24/7 shift schedule for traffic police by March 2025.
The DoT noted that this strategy is a must to address the growing culture of lawlessness on the nation’s roads.
The plans follow years of concerns from stakeholders that the road safety situation in South Africa remains a problem, with calls to the government to make systematic changes to address the issues.
At the start of his year, The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) noted that the decline in road fatalities in recent years is welcome, but more needs to be done.
“Human factors accounted for 80% of all deaths during the festive period, but this human factor—or driver behaviour—will only change over time, and our call continues to be for the government to ensure more law enforcers are made available to police our country’s roads.
“In addition, more education and awareness campaigns must be initiated throughout the year to prioritise road safety,” said the AA.
The AA added that urgent intervention is required to improve road safety.
Without such intervention, the AA says, the horrific road fatality numbers reported annually by the Department of Transport will simply not decrease meaningfully.
In his inaugural address as the new Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa pledged to eliminate the obstacles that have hindered the implementation of round-the-clock visible traffic policing to tackle lawlessness during his tenure.
Hlengwa emphasised that the administration would expedite the resolution of all issues that have delayed the implementation of 24/7 visible traffic law enforcement across the country, particularly in high-accident zones on the road network.
Currently, only the Western Cape and the National Traffic Police have established a 24/7 shift system.
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