Gauteng traffic operations to continue throughout festive season, MEC warns motorists

Traffic law-enforcement officers from the Gauteng Traffic Inspectorate (GTI) conducted another week-long, inter-provincial road safety and traffic operation in key areas where non-compliance was continuously observed among motorists.

The Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, warned that these operations will continue throughout the festive period.

Zero Tolerance

“We wish to state these operations will remain ongoing for the entire festive period,” the MEC asserted.

“GTI has been instructed to scale up joint operations with local municipal metro police departments as well as the South African Police Service (Saps) to enforce traffic laws, maximise public safety, and prevent criminal activity,” the MEC added.

“There will be zero tolerance for unroadworthy vehicles, reckless behaviour, or criminality on Gauteng’s roads ahead and during the holiday season,” she emphasised.

Continuous non-compliance

This follows the GTI logging over 1 500 traffic infringements, issuing dozens of vehicle discontinuation notices, and effecting arrests as part of a push to improve road safety and eliminate unlicensed public transport operators.

Officials from the South African Police Service, Home Affairs, Merafong Traffic, Rand West Traffic, North-West Traffic Police, Gauteng Transport Inspectorate, and the National Traffic Police were involved in the seven-day operation.

Officers issued both handwritten notices and advanced digital e-Force devices to enforce compliance under the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) framework.

Infringement notices

According to Diale-Tlabela, the e-Force system lets traffic officers instantly verify driver licences, vehicle registration status, and active warrants.

The system also accounted for more than half of all logged violations during the week.

A total of 712 notices were issued in the City of Johannesburg, with 697 in the City of Tshwane, 123 in the City of Ekurhuleni, and 30 issued on the North-West corridor.

Non-Compliant minibus taxis

Diale-Tlabela said that a central pillar of the week’s campaign was strict enforcement of public transport regulations, specifically targeting non-compliant minibus taxi operators and unroadworthy vehicles.

Authorities issued 34 discontinuation notices to unroadworthy vehicles, preventing them from operating until mechanical and safety defects are fully rectified.

Further inspection of public transport operations highlighted major administrative and safety violations on commuter routes.

Invalid operating licenses

Non-compliance continues among taxi drivers: 61 taxis were found operating without valid licence discs, 59 taxi drivers were operating without valid driving licences, and 27 minibuses were impounded.

Two individuals were also arrested after one was discovered driving under the influence of alcohol and another for contravention of the Immigration Act.

Concluding her remarks, the MEC said these collaborative operations reinforce law enforcement efforts to promote road safety, ensure compliance with traffic laws, and combat criminal activity across the province.