Mayhem with broken traffic lights and lack of policing

Komani residents are fed up with the lack of traffic policing in the town, resultant irresponsible and dangerous behaviour of drivers, traffic lights that don’t work, and a lack of signage.

Residents have complained that many motorists disobey the rules of the road due to the lack of traffic policing.

Komani only has eight traffic officers out of a required 23 to manage 23,000 registered vehicles, according to municipal spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa.

Independent SA National Civic Organisation (Isanco) leader Peter King said: “There are no visible signs on the roads, robots are not working.

“There are people who doublepark all around town, including in busy Cathcart Street. Everyone is doing what he or she wants.

“I know people who [drive] with broken windscreens and lights and I ask them how they go around with cars like that and their answer is they pay traffic officers not to be fined.”

Kowa said: “The traffic department has planned specific duties per shift at strategic areas and on critical routes. Those duties are diligently carried throughout.

“Traffic officers cannot always be all over the entire town and detect all offences, but they do concentrate mostly on the CBD and residential areas.

“Due to insufficient resources, the municipality requested the provincial traffic department to assist with law enforcement, in particular in Cathcart Street, when their vehicles move from one point of a specific route to another during their planned shifts.

“We are currently getting assistance from the province.”

He said the municipality was in the final stages of appointing a service provider for parking management in the town.

“The municipality, despite insufficient resources, manages law enforcement within Komani.

“A process to appoint officers is under way and the advert for traffic officers was placed in local newspapers.”

He said the municipality had requested the appointment of law enforcement officers to assist in dealing with parking enforcement, but this was declined because there was no money.

“Despite insufficient resources, we issue about 80 fines for parking offences per month. Some traffic lights are out of order due to technical faults, while some have been hit by vehicles whose drivers fled, evading responsibility,” he said.

“Fixing of traffic lights has not stopped but stalled due to limited financial resources. Whenever there are enough resources, robots are repaired. Those that are working are also maintained on a regular basis.”