Motorist’s ‘blue light’ ordeal

A KUILS River motorist says he was pulled over and harassed by an “arrogant white man” flashing blue lights in his private vehicle and wearing only a “law enforcement” bib yesterday.

Jimlin van Wyk had pulled off at the KFC in Van Riebeeck Road, Kuils River, when he noticed the white Volkswagen Polo in his rear view.

“He was flashing blue lights so I thought it was a member of the City’s ‘ghost squad’ – he asked to see my driver’s licence which I gave,” said Van Wyk.

Suspicious, he asked the man for a form of identification, which he refused to give. The man was armed with a gun and had pulled over several motorists into the parking area.

“I asked him why he required my licence; he then claimed to be a police officer… I didn’t want to get into an altercation because he was armed and instead recorded the aftermath of the incident with my cellphone,” he said.

He said what further disturbed him was that the man was conducting the “operation” at 2.30am while he had a woman and an infant in his car. “It was like a joke to him,” said Van Wyk.

He reported the incident to the Kuils River police station where officers on duty acknowledged knowing the man, pulling over motorists, but refused to take his complaint and only recorded the incident in the ‘overnight book’.

“The privilege of being a white man in South Africa… the police allow him to have a roadblock inside a private parking area,” said Van Wyk.

He said police officers told him the man was a member of the local neighbourhood watch and they were seemingly aware of his activities.

Chairperson of the Soneike Neighbourhood Watch Andre Kruger yesterday said he had no knowledge of the incident, adding that his members did not drive around flashing blue lights.

“We have white lights on all our vehicles. No incident was reported to me,” said Kruger.

Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said they were awaiting information from the Kuils River police station commander.

Western Cape Community Safety MEC Dan Plato confirmed that in the past many neighbourhood watch members were allowed to attach blue lights on to their vehicles.

“They are not authorised to drive with blue lights; members of the public can complain to us,” said Plato, adding that a memorandum was sent out to neighbourhood watches across the province.

He said the passage of the Western Cape Community Safety Act had brought neighbourhood watches in line with national traffic regulations which stipulated that only police officers may use blue lights and only emergency vehicles red lights.