As the country braces for its annual festive season surge in road traffic, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) has issued an urgent call for better working conditions and support for traffic officers.

The union has raised significant concerns regarding the working conditions of traffic officers, who are pivotal to ensuring safety on the country’s roads during one of the most perilous times of the year. With the festive season fast approaching, the call for enhanced support for these officers has never been more urgent.

This plea by POPCRU follows an announcement by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who revealed the deployment of more than 2 000 new South African Police Service (SAPS) recruits to various police stations across the nation, particularly aimed at bolstering safety during the holiday period. At a recent graduation ceremony for newly trained police constables held at the Tshwane Training Academy, Mchunu underscored the importance of increased visibility in policing during this critical season.

“We need to increase our visibility and that means more boots on the ground. Your deployment to police stations across the country comes at a crucial time, as we enter the busy festive season,” Mchunu stated, echoing the urgency of ensuring public safety.

However, POPCRU President Thulani Ngwenya emphasised that the officers responsible for enforcing road safety are already facing immense challenges. “Traffic officers play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of South Africa’s roads during one of the busiest and most dangerous periods of the year. Yet, they are already working with both hands tied behind their back, as severe organisational challenges and poor working conditions hamper their effectiveness,” Ngwenya lamented.

These concerns echo as the Department of Transport launches its 46-day Festive Road Safety Campaign, a vital initiative aimed at curbing the alarming number of fatalities on South African roads. Last festive season, a staggering 1,285 fatalities were recorded, averaging 31 lives lost each day. Transport Minister Barbara Creecy acknowledged these “scary and staggering” statistics, announcing plans for elevated traffic policing and intensified law enforcement strategies, particularly in high-risk areas.

Despite these measures aimed at safeguarding lives, Ngwenya warned of the detrimental implications for traffic officers, who are under-resourced and often overworked.

“Simply implementing 24/7 traffic policing is not enough to deal with the issues on our roads,” he stressed. “Government must accelerate recruitment efforts to build capacity, focusing on providing traffic police with essential tools of the trade – like working vehicles.”

Ngwenya further highlighted the frustrations of delayed compensation for officers, many of whom have faced prolonged waits for overdue overtime pay. “These types of delays are unacceptable and demoralising, and we will be watching closely to ensure that our members are treated with respect,” he asserted.

Additionally, the fragmentation of command structures across provinces has resulted in chaotic coordination and inequitable working conditions for traffic officers. Provincial disparities in salaries, benefits, and organisational structures have led to significant staffing shortages in some regions, as officers migrate to locations with better working conditions.

On a hopeful note, Ngwenya acknowledged the recent deployment of 156 newly trained traffic officers in the Eastern Cape as a positive step. However, he emphasised that the need for officers remains vast across all provinces. “As long as traffic officers are located within provincial departments with varying primary mandates, traffic policing will not receive the necessary prioritisation or resource allocation,” he stated.

Saturday Star

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