Outcry over ‘death trap’ police cars

Popcru members claim vehicles unroadworthy after colleague dies

FAMILY and friends of an East London police forensic expert who died in a horror crash in the Joe Gqabi district municipality on Tuesday say she had no option but to drive an unroadworthy state car.

This shocking claim, and others of poor police management, were made by police members of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), who were colleagues of Constable Phamela Mase, 31.

Mase died after allegedly losing control of a state-owned Ford Figo, which Popcru claims had smooth tyres.

“We knew that this day would come – that one of us was going to die because we are forced to drive unroadworthy vehicles a on daily basis. It’s a death trap,” said a policewoman who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation.

Provincial police spokesman captain Khaya Tonjeni said his office took the matter very seriously.

“Because of the seriousness of these allegations, we would like some more time to verify this information.

“We will not be able to get all the facts and circumstances surrounding this case in such a short time.”

He promised to respond more fully today.

Mase’s sister, Nobuntu Matshangana, 37, said the family had seen the wreck and that a tyre appeared to have burst.

“All the tyres were in a bad condition, especially the tyre on the driver’s side which burst,” Matshasanga said.

The accident happened at noon after Mase was returning from the Aliwal North Magistrate’s Court, where she had been testifying.

She was thrown out of the vehicle and died instantly, her friends said.

Mase, from Border Post village outside King William’s Town, is survived by her two-year-old son.

A fuming Popcru provincial chairman, Colonel Loyiso Mdingi, told the Dispatch yesterday: “We are very aware of the fact that the police cars are unroadworthy at that office.

“In fact, I can take you to all the police offices across the province. “The cars there are unroadworthy. “They have old, flat tyres, no wipers, no mirrors, no brakes, etc.”

Mdingi said Popcru was investigating the matter at the Local Criminal Records Centre (LCRC).

Mdingi said they had done a lot of talking to the management but had made little headway.

The group of officers gave emotional accounts of how they were forced to endure daily abuse from the management at the department.

They made claims of shocking maladministration and abuse of state resources and neglect of the fleet.

The group also claimed that the fleet management division was in disarray, with dozens of fleet cars unroadworthy.

Members of the group said: “Ford Focus, Ford Figo, Ford Tiida, Chevrolet Optras are all not in good condition and the bosses know it. Those cars are currently used by our team.

“Clerks whose job it is to stay at the office and do administration work, have access to all the wellmaintained cars which they use to do private things like buying lunch and groceries and party over weekends, while officers have to do with those death traps.

“Mase refused to drive that car because she knew it was unroadworthy, but she was forced to take it because she was going to be charged and risk losing her job if she didn’t make it to that court case.

“We have complained several times to the management about the cars that are not being serviced, but in vain.”

One of the officers told the Dispatch : “Last month I survived an accident here in town after a tyre which had no tread burst.

“The white Chevrolet Optra has no hooter and the first gear doesn’t work so we have to push-start it.” —