30 new recruits resume training
The Eastern Cape department of transport has made a serious investment in road safety promotion with the recruitment of 30 young people to undergo a year-long training as traffic officers.
In March this year, Transport, Safety and Liaison MEC, Weziwe Tikana, announced her department’s intention to train 30 young people from across the province as part of a drive to minimise crashes by increasing traffic officers’ visibility on its road network.
“With the increase in contraventions of traffic laws, we are also confident that after the training, they will join our force and assist in enforcing the law as well. These attempts will also strengthen the management of traffic stations and close gaps on vacant funded posts,” says Tikana.
Early this year, 35 unemployed and qualified traffic officers were appointed - a move which Tikana said is part of the strides the department makes as it readies itself for the introduction of 24/7 traffic law-enforcement service in the province. The new recruits will be ready to join the force in June 2019. While the department acknowledges that, traffic law-enforcement programmes are critical role in promoting road safety, the department continues to initiate projects which advance road safety education and awareness.
“We also require road-users to play their part when using the road,” Tikana says. As part of upskilling existing members, the department has also commenced with other training programmes. Since the beginning of the year, over 200 traffic officers recently underwent refresher training in line with the Firearms Act of 2000.
“We want to ensure that our officers are ready and able to deal with the many challenges that confront them on the road,” says Tikana.
We are also confident that after the training, they will join our force