Hundreds of public transport vehicles impounded
29 March 2021
The City's Traffic officers are being kept busy with public transport operators flouting the law - with more than 600 vehicles impounded in the last three weeks. Read more below:
The impoundments form part of the Traffic Service's general enforcement duties, and are executed when operators do not have a valid operating license, or are operating in contravention of their permit conditions.
In the last week, the Traffic Service impounded 206 vehicles. The week prior, 256 vehicles were impounded and during the second week of March, the number of impoundments were at 186 - a total of 648 over the three week period.
'The impoundments are not new, and the statistics are an indication that the problem continues to persist, despite the best efforts of our staff. One of the big frustrations is that vehicles leave the pound as quickly as they are brought in, and the operators simply continue their illicit trade and poor behaviour until the next impoundment. What we need is tighter legislation that'll allow for permanent forfeiture of a vehicle after three strikes.
'Illegal operators are a danger to other road users, because very often unlicensed vehicles go with unlicensed drivers, but it is also a slap in the face of those in the public transport sector who go through the right channels to operate legally,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
In general enforcement efforts in the past week, Traffic Officers arrested 59 suspects and issued 59 667 fines for road safety-related transgressions.
Law Enforcement
Officers successfully arrested three suspects involved in an armed robbery in Kraaifontein on Friday afternoon, 26 March 2021. While on patrol, a member of the public informed the officers that three armed suspects driving a silver Toyota Tazz were involved in an armed robbery. The officers followed the vehicle and with the assistance of officers from the City’s Anti Land Invasion Unit, the suspects were apprehended in Cecil Morgan Drive, Brackenfell where officers discovered that they had sustained gunshot wounds.
SAPS conducted an on scene verification that the gunshots were not inflicted by the Law Enforcement members, as no shots were fired while they were pursuing the suspects.
In other Law Enforcement successes, officers arrested 48 suspects on various charges and issued 4 176 notices. Of these, 223 were fines issued in terms of the National Disaster Management Act.
Metro Police
During weekly patrols, officers arrested 49 suspects - 22 of which were drug-related, and issued 2 254 traffic fines.
On Sunday, 28 March 2021, officers conducted general crime prevention patrols in the Belhar area. Officers noticed an accident where two vehicles were involved on the corners of Symphony and Sonata streets. One of the motorists was found to be under the influence of alcohol. The 34-year-old was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol and for reckless and negligence driving. The suspect was detained at Belhar SAPS.
On Saturday, 27 March 2021, officers assisted by their Law Enforcement counterparts responded to a complaint of people drinking in public in Gordon's Bay.
Officers proceeded on foot in the Milky Wood Trees area, and confiscated the liquor. Two females, aged 38 and 26, were arrested for interfering with police duty; riotous behaviour, Crimen Injuria, resisting arrest and failing to comply with a lawful instruction.
A total of 145 units of alcohol was confiscated and 21 units of alcohol found abandoned. The alcohol was booked in at the nearest Law Enforcement office, while the female suspects were detained at Gordons Bay SAPS for further investigation.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
