Streets ahead of speedsters
Traffic Police High-speed Unit is catching up with lawbreakers, writes Sameer Naik
JUST a few minutes into officer Jason Nzama’s morning shift, he has already spotted a speedster.
A man driving a grey Toyota storms past on the R21 at an alarmingly high speed.
The man, who is heading in the direction of OR Tambo International Airport, moves into the fast lane, pushing other drivers out.
Officer Nzama and his partner clock the driver going at a speed of 165km/h on their moving violation recording device that’s fitted in their car.
Once a driver has clocked over 161km/h on any of Gauteng’s highways or freeways, it is this team’s signal to spring into action.
He immediately switches on the blue lights on his unmarked VW Golf GTI and puts the pedal to the metal so he can catch up to the Toyota.
Within seconds, they are right behind the car. They flash for him to pull over.
In a few metres, Nzama jumps out so he can chat to the driver, who just clocked 165km/h. Few words are exchanged and the man is in handcuffs.
At the Lyttelton police station in Centurion, the closest to where the offence was recorded, the driver is detained and a case of reckless and negligent driving, with an alternative charge of exceeding the legal speed limit of 120km/h, opened.
Nzama isn’t thrilled that they’ve had to arrest someone so early in the day.
“An arrest is not a success. I am still waiting for the day when I can go home without one. I will call that day a success.”
After processing the driver and completing the formalities, Nzama and his partner are back on Gauteng’s highways and freeways, making sure roads are safe in the province.
The team are part of the awardwinning Gauteng Traffic Police Highspeed Unit.
This highly specialised team track down speedsters on Gauteng’s highways and freeways. They also look out for any drivers who are responsible for other driving violations.
They drive incognito in their unmarked Golf GTIS and Ford STS which have been fitted with the latest technology including eyewitness cameras fitted on the windscreens of the cars, as well as moving violation recorders to catch speedsters in the act.
“The High Speed Unit tracks down and records driving behaviour. If cars exceed 161 km/h in a 120km/h zone, that is when we get involved.”
The 36-year-old officer, who’s been part of the elite unit since 2016, and who recently received an award from Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula for going beyond the call of duty, says Gauteng drivers keep him and his team busy.
Last month, a Gauteng driver made headlines after he was captured on video clocking more than 300km/h on the R21 in Johannesburg.
The video, which was circulated on social media, showed the motorist in an Audi TTS, speeding at a maximum of 322km/h on the busy highway.
Nzama says those taking chances on Gauteng’s highways and freeways will not get away with violations on the road.
“The (Audi driver) thought he knew better. But with our technology, we have an advantage in tracking down drivers even if we aren’t around.”
“There are cameras that you don’t even know about that are watching your every move on highways and freeways. You cannot beat us.”
“If you commit major offences on the roads, there is no way you’re getting away with it, not even at night.”
The father of one says most drivers are caught speeding on the N1, R21, N4, M1, and N14 highways.
“Most recently, the R55 has also become notorious after the highway was recapitalised. Once there were dual lanes, people started enjoying themselves.”
Just last year, Nzama says he encountered a driver speeding at 252km/h on the Ben Schoeman Highway.
“It was a lady who was driving a Mercedes-benz GLC. We had to chase after her for a while before eventually catching her.”
Nzama says while the majority of drivers co-operate and pull over, many drivers try to get away.
“From time to time we do have high-speed pursuits. Recently, we chased a car from Joburg all the way to Bronkhorstspruit.
“I’ve also had to chase drivers on foot. Some drivers jump out of their car and start running for the hills.
“We have to be mentally strong and also physically fit,” he said.
He has also been involved in chasing getaway vehicles involved in criminal activity.
“It does get hectic at times, but we are most definitely skilled to deal with these kinds of situations. The equipment we have helps us. Most of the time we do win, but there are times when our colleagues have been injured, but it’s part of the job.”
After four years with the unit, Nzama knows all the “lies and excuses” drivers come up with for speeding.
“Some of them are so creative,” he giggles. “The most popular one is that the man is rushing to get to his wife because she is about to give birth. We have heard that so many times.”
“When they tell us this, we offer to follow the driver to the hospital. But in the end we find out that there was no pregnant wife.
“Some have told us that a family member died. Most of the time, the drivers are lying. They are killing their family members before they even die.”
As a traffic law enforcement official, Nzama has also been offered bribes on numerous occasions.
“If you attempt to bribe me, it is a charge on its own. So what I do is add it to what we have charged you with already. I do not tolerate that.”
He says, however, that he takes no pleasure in arresting drivers. His mission is to make sure that Gauteng’s roads are safe.
“It’s not like I wake up and look forward to putting drivers behind bars. I am trying to keep our roads safe and doing my job. That is all.
“I want to change the perception in drivers that we are the enemy. We are not there to give you hell, but rather to make sure you are safe.”
Nzama’s recent award is another notch on the belt of the High Speed Unit, which has been winning accolades for their outstanding work and high-arrest rate over the years. It’s what drives his team to do better every day.
“We are very fortunate that our work is recognised. It puts us in a very good space and that recognition fuels us.”
He adds that the unit is “incredibly efficient” and has been since its inception.
“I think God honestly loves us because we drive more than 200km every day but we can spend a whole year without a single accident, especially when we are forced to drive at high speeds.
“The day we don’t have any fatalities on these major roads is the day we will be successful,” Nzama says.
There are cameras that you don’t even know about...
Jason Nzama