No bulletproof vests issued to EC traffic cops since 2009
Not a single bulletproof vest has been issued to Eastern Cape traffic officers for 13 years.
The last batch of vests was issued during the 2008/09 financial year.
The transport department admits this has placed traffic officers recruited since then in danger.
In September, provincial traffic officer Sonica Esmeralda Smith was shot and killed while on duty on the R75 near Kwadwesi, in Gqeberha.
In October, King Sabata Dalindyebo local municipality traffic officer Daniel Mxoli was shot and killed on duty in the Mthatha CBD.
Provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the department had ordered bulletproof vests, which were supposed to have been delivered early this year, but the service provider did not deliver them.
The contract was then terminated and a new procurement process was now under way.
“We acknowledge the shortage, hence the current procurement,” Binqose said.
“We will devise strategies within on how best to use the available vests as per priorities and looking at other factors.
“Bulletproof vests are durable and can outlast the service of any traffic officer.
“This means they aren’ ta uniform item that needs to be procured regularly.”
But Binqose acknowledged there was a need to procure new vests.
“As we increase our boots on the ground with recruitment and training of more officers, there’s certainly a need to beef up our stocks.
“And the delays in that are definitely not a financial challenge, but rather a question of the service provider’s capacity to produce them.”
DA MPL and provincial roads & transport spokesperson Marshall von Buchenroder said the party had “repeatedly” over the past four years called on the transport department to acquire the vests for its traffic officers.
“Every time this matter was raised with the former transport MEC, Weziwe Tikana Gothiwe, we were told that the department was in the process of procuring these vests.
“However, a recent response from the MEC [Xolile] Nqatha revealed that the department last issued bulletproof vests to traffic officers 13 years ago.”
Von Buchenroder said it was “completely outrageous” that traffic officials had, in the interim, been forced to risk their lives daily without the necessary life-saving equipment.
“It is essential for all law enforcement officials to have bulletproof vests, especially with the current rise of callous attacks against them.
“As we approach the festive season, our traffic and other law enforcement officials will be called on to do more visible patrols of our streets.
“These men and women are placing themselves in harm’s way to ensure our safety over the holidays, yet their department clearly has no concern for them.
“The DA is very concerned about the safety of our traffic officials and calls on the MEC to prioritise the procurement of bulletproof vests. If we want law and order on our roads, traffic officers must feel confident that they have the necessary protection when dealing with dangerous suspects.
“We want fully motivated officers who are not holding back out of fear because they might be the next victim.”