Bakkie laws ‘relaxed’

TRANSPORT lobby views the recent amendment to the legislation forbidding transportation of people and pupils in the back of bakkies as neglect of enforcement.

According to the National Road Traffic Act of 1996, it’s a criminal act to transport people for hire or reward in a bakkie. The Transport Department has now added a subsection to regulations contained in the Act, specifically aimed at safeguarding school children from violent deaths in road accidents involving bakkies.

Departmental spokesman Ishmael Mnisi said there would be some exceptions: “The only exclusion made is for employers who transport their labourers, but that number cannot be more than five.

“They have to apply for a permit for them to do so.” The new regulations come into effect on May 1.

Justice Project South Africa chairman Howard Dembovsky said: “If you expect to adjust human behaviour by writing more laws rather than enforcing the current laws, it’s not going to work [because] laws are only as good as their enforcement.”

Dembovsky said the amendments relaxed the initial provision, “rather than enhancing road safety”.

“It’s taken the previous provision and said... you must not do it if you don’t pay for the privilege to transport people on the back of a bakkie. But if you pay for it, by applying for a permit then it’s cool.”