JOHANNESBURG – The recent spate of outrageously high fine amounts (100 times the original penalty amount) on AARTO 09 results of representations originating from the JMPD when they summarily reject AARTO 08 representations has caused widespread panic and disbelief in the hearts of affected parties.

The explanation that has been offered by the JMPD through the RTIA’s deputy registrar, Mr Sherman Amos on the Midday Report on talk Radio 702 was that that this was caused by a “software upgrade” which has now caused the JMPD’s finances to be represented in cents. This explanation differs from the one given to the Times Newspaper which said that it was caused by the dropping of a decimal point. 

The example below is from an AARTO 09 received by someone in January 2012 and as can be clearly seen, there is no decimal or cents value on it.

The latest AARTO 09 documents have two extra zeros on them:

The question that must be asked is what possible reason could the JMPD or their contractors have had to change their accounting records and the references in these documents to cents, with a Rand symbol in front?  It is far more likely that this “error” was deliberate on the part of the JMPD and/or their contractors in order to scare people into going into their offices to query these things, rather than elect to be tried in court because the JMPD is now starting to haemorrhage money due to people wising up to the unlawfulness of the JMPD’s actions.  The RTIA should also not be making excuses for the JMPD if they are not prepared to compel them to obey the law and are going to allow them to appoint unqualified representation officers.

Additionally, a simple comment to the Beeld Newspaper stating that “motorists should not panic if they found themselves confronted with fines of, for example, R50,000 or R300,000” and a radio interview here and there is not good enough.  Of course people will panic!  It has taken almost two years for people to begin to wise up to the fact that sending AARTO 03 infringement notices by ordinary mail is contrary to the Act and a simple, small press article in one newspaper is simply not going to cut it.  The JMPD and RTIA should be forced to at the very least run full page adverts in all newspapers apologising to and reassuring motorists that this was an “error” if that is what it was.

The amount of affected parties – reportedly 50,000 in one batch is also cause for concern, given the fact that this would appear to represent a single month’s worth of representations rejected by the JMPD.  JPSA has also been told that people who are trying to hand in AARTO 10 election to be tried in court documents are being refused and told that they must pay “as these fines are not going to go away”.  If this is true, then the JMPD is violating people’s right under the Constitution to be tried in a competent court.

The JMPD is very good at making up excuses and pretending that they are blameless and a legitimate entity.  They seem to be under the impression that they can make up provisions as and when they wish to do so, and can discard the provisions of the AARTO Act to suit themselves.  From 1 June 2010 the JMPD began sending out infringement notices that they previously sent by registered mail in accordance with the Act by ordinary mail, thus negating the entire AARTO process.

The JMPD’s explanation for this has been that the AARTO Act does not specifically prohibit sending infringement notices by ordinary mail, however what they have neglected to note is that the Act says that they must be served by registered mail.  A complaint was lodged with the Public Protector by JPSA on 17 June 2011, after all other avenues to get the JMPD to act lawfully failed.  This has still not resulted in the resolution of this anomaly.

In December 2011, the JMPD suddenly contracted a large number of individuals to summarily reject representations and advise people to either pay the fines or elect to be tried in court.  We have been informed that elections to be tried in court are not

being accepted by the JMPD and they are informing people that they have to pay the fines as a court will not listen to them.  This is a violation of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the right of every accused person to:

• Be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court, and
• Be subjected to administrative justice which is “administrative action that is lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair” which is most certainly not the case with respect to how the JMPD is acting as police, judge, jury and executioner.

The JMPD is clearly under the impression that they:

• May presume that people they accuse are guilty until they prove themselves innocent, and
• The JMPD is not obliged to comply with the prescripts of legislation passed into law in South Africa.

JPSA advises all motorists who make representations and have them rejected to immediately exercise their rights under the constitution and elect to be tried in a competent court, which don’t employ administration clerks who know nothing of the law to do their dirty work for them.  If the JMPD attempts to refuse you this right, then insist that they accept your election and do not take no for an answer.

Howard Dembovsky may be contacted for further comment.

JOHANNESBURG – Justice Project South Africa has responded with amazement to the fact that SANRAL has claimed in its media statement that the essence of the “South African National Roads Agency Limited and National Roads Act Regulations Draft” is not intended to compel motorists to buy eTags and register with SANRAL.  With the exception of the first paragraph, their release (below ours) reads like an advertisement for eTags and nothing more!

The core essence and purpose of the draft legislation, whilst not directly stating that motorists will actually be forced to have SANRAL’s modern-day, electronic dompas in their vehicles is quite clearly intended to provide for just that.

The draft legislation deals almost solely with the appointment of enforcement officers under section 54 of the SANRAL Act which wasn’t previously defined in the SANRAL Act and now seeks to legislate that “an employee in full or partial uniform” may “at any time enter any motor vehicle and inspect such vehicle and any electronic device installed therein for the purpose of toll collection.”

If indeed there is no requirement for motorists to have an electronic tag, then why would it be deemed necessary to write 3(1)(g) (amongst others) into this legislation?  Why also does the Department of Transport feel that it is necessary or justified to grant the SANRAL Gestapo-like powers which surpass those grated to real law enforcement agencies like the South African Police Services with respect to search and seizure of people’s vehicles and driving licences and other licensing documents? 

So rushed was this draft legislation that the “(1)” part of 3(1)(g) was in fact left out in the document published for comment.  The legislation drafters were also quite clearly ignorant of the existence of two other little pieces of legislation – the Criminal Procedure Act and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa; which enshrines the right of every person not to have their person, home or property (which includes a motor vehicle) searched without warrant.

Had the Department of Transport and SANRAL have not adopted the arrogant attitude and grossly incompetent lack of attention to detail they have with respect to this entire eTolling debacle, they would not have had to rush to draft poorly thought out legislation or waste people’s time commenting, within very tight timelines, to draft legislation which violates the Constitution and therefore cannot constitutionally be passed into law by Parliament – unless of course, the Constitution is discarded and changed in its entirety as has been mooted recently, prior to enacting this atrociously ridiculous draft legislation.

Howard Dembovsky may be contacted for further comment.

From: Felix Sebata [mailto:felix@magna-carta.co.za]
Sent: 03 April 2012 11:41 AM
Subject: Media release: SANRAL response: Road users not obligated to buy an e-tag

Dear News Editor,

NEWS RELEASE
3 April 2012

Road users not obligated to buy an e-tag

The South African Roads National Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) would like to clarify to road users that it is not compulsory for road users to buy an e-tag for Gauteng e-tolling. Registering with an e-tag is optional. Road users are therefore not forced to buy an e-tag but are encouraged to obtain one to enjoy the cost saving benefits available to e-tag users.

The registration procedure communicated by SANRAL and stipulated on the SANRAL website states that the road users can register for Gauteng e-tolling with a South African ID or passport number, physical and postal addresses, contact details (cell phone, landline, fax number and/or email address), account payment details (either cash or bank account or credit card details for those who choose the debit order option), vehicle licence plate number, and make and model of vehicle. Users are also not required to provide their banking details. There are many payment options including cash or electronic funds transfer (EFT) from which the user may choose to set up the e-toll account.

Having an e-tag linked to the e-toll account is an option that is chosen by the road user. The e-tag qualifies road users to the e-tag related discounts. These include the 48 percent e-tag discount and frequent user discounts that are available only to e-tag users. The e-toll tariffs have also been capped at R550 per month for motorcycles and light motor vehicles that are registered with an e-tag.

The e-tag also offers road users protection against licence plate cloning as the e-tag cannot be cloned. The e-tag is linked to one specific vehicle and can only be used with that vehicle.
ENDS

Issued by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited
Email: pressoffice@nra.co.za

Khulubuse Zuma, the nephew of President Jacob Zuma and Aurora Empowerment Systems boss, has been arrested and tried for speeding in Ballito after his silver, convertible Maserati, was clocked at 181km/h.

Zuma, who is also chairman of the embattled gold mining company Aurora Empowerment Systems, was apprehended by Road Traffic Inspectorate officials in Ballito, on the KZN North Coast on January 9.

He was believed to have been in the company of his mother at the time.

He was arrested and taken to the Umhlali police station on January 9. The following day he appeared in the Umhlali Magistrate’s Court where he pleaded guilty and was handed a R3 000 fine.

According to police and RTI sources the vehicle was registered to Viglietti Motors in Cape Town. Manager Gareth Crossley said he could not confirm if the car had been loaned to Zuma or if he was a client.

“I cannot say anything. If we loaned him the car or if he is a prospective buyer is confidential,” said Crossley.

KZN police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane confirmed the case. – IOL Staff Reporter

JPSA Responds

During December 2011, Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele stated that "all motorists arrested for traffic offences must have their driving licenses seized and suspended/cancelled." Collins Letsoalo, acting CEO of the RTMC was very quick to jump on the bandwagon, stating that section 25(1)(b) of the National Road Traffic Act gives him the power to do this. Several reports citing tens of thousands of driving licence suspensions/cancellations then also followed.

Now it emerges that Khulubuse Zuma has pleaded guilty to driving at 181km/h in an undefined speed limit zone. At best, he would have been 61km/h over the speed limit -at worst 141km/h since Ballito has speed limits of 40km/h. Either way, since 20 November 2010, it has been law that anyone exceeding the speed limit in an urban area by more than 30km/h and outside an urban area by more than 40km/h must have their driving licence suspended by the court unless mitigating circumstances of considerable proportion are found.

So here we have a man who, by merely bearing a favourable surname is sentenced to a R3000 fine and has no other consequences imposed on him when other motorists have had fines of five times that imposed on them and have had their driving licenses suspended. This incident happened on 9 January 2012 and once again, Sibusiso Ndebele, despite launching his tirades about how lawlessness on our roads has said absolutely nothing about this. No doubt he will once again say that people like us are "distracting public attention from the real road safety issues" when we say that making fish of one and fowl of the other sends the wrong message.

I personally, and many others like me, am sick to death of the Minister and his sidekick, Collins Letsoalo blowing smoke up everyone's behinds. In their opinions, "speed kills", but only if it is not their or their friends' vehicles involved!

Why it is that we as South Africans accept this kind of bull is completely beyond me. We must band together and demand that Ndebele and Letsoalo step down and that our Constitution is adhered to by giving every person equal treatment under the law. These two individuals are not Magistrates but they do have the power to ensure that the laws Ndebele enacts are adhered to by all involved. They simply don't seem to care, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't, now does it?

With effect from 20 November 2010, the National Road Traffic Act demands that on conviction of certain offences, the driving licence of any person convicted of these offences shall be suspended for minimum periods. Amongst these offences are hit and run crashes, reckless or negligent driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and excessive speeding.  Since it came into play tens of thousands of driving licenses have been suspended and/or cancelled (according to the Department of Transport) but there have also been numerous cases where "high-profile" individuals have not suffered this fate. Consistency in application of the law is very important, however it is quite clear that the law in South Africa is being applied on a basis of who you are, not what you have done.

Below is Section 35 of the National Road Traffic Act and I certainly don't see any reference to exemptions under it - do you?

Authored and commented by Howard Dembovsky

JOHANNESBURG – Following the complaint lodged with the Public Protector on 16 June 2011 by JPSA and the ongoing saga surrounding the JMPD’s unlawful issue of AARTO 03 infringement notices since 1 June 2010, it has recently come to light that a new tactic is being employed by the JMPD to get people to pay unlawful fines.

On 11 January 2011, the then Acting and now fully appointed Registrar of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA), Mr Japh Chuwe wrote to the JMPD “requesting” that they cease sending out infringement notices by ordinary mail in contravention of Section 30(1) of the AARTO Amendment Act. This “request” was summarily ignored – as happens when requests are made.

In the same letter, Mr Japh Chuwe also instructed as follows: “You are furthermore advised that in cases where representation applications are received in respect of infringement notices served by ordinary mail, those infringement notices must be withdrawn and such representations made successful. In relation to those infringement notices referring to juristic persons, the owners of those vehicles in question cannot be requested to identify or nominate drivers as the initial notices were not properly served as prescribed by the Act.”

It has emerged that not only has the JMPD defied the “request” to cease acting unlawfully with respect to service, but that the AARTO Representations office at the JMPD’s offices in Village Road, Selby is turning people away and telling them that they must either pay these fines  or elect to be tried in court.  This is a gross violation of not only the AARTO Act, but also of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act and the Constitution as the JMPD is now denying people access to administrative justice.

We were informed that this practice was ordered by Director Gerneke in late December 2011, but were unable to verify its implementation until Wednesday 18 January, when JPSA’s National Secretary was subjected to this treatment.  She stood her ground and insisted that they take the representation forms she was submitting – neither of which related to her – and JPSA would like to encourage all members of the public to do the same as the JMPD has no right or legal standing to refuse to accept AARTO 08 representation forms.  If they subsequently defy the instruction of the Registrar of the RTIA and reject such representations, the JMPD will furthermore be guilty of disobeying a lawful instruction.

A further complaint has been lodged with the Public Protector by JPSA in this regard and we are informed that the Public Protector is scheduled to meet with the JMPD and the RTIA/RTMC on Friday 27 January 2012.

JPSA has continuously and repeatedly warned of the dangers of having an issuing authority being allowed to be issuer, judge, jury and executioner by appointing and employing adjudication officers under AARTO, especially in light of the fact that adjudication is supposed to be a fair and unbiased function of Administrative Justice just as it would be in a conventional court.

JOHANNESBURG – Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) was horrified to learn this morning that the JMPD failed to have blood samples taken from Sibusiso Langa, the accused in the Midrand tragedy that took the lives of 5 “joggers” within the prescribed two hours. Ref here. Jurisdiction has absolutely nothing to do with it, given that SAPS have jurisdiction over the entire nation of South Africa and cases can be transferred between stations if necessary. That is simply an excuse that is not going to wash!

Immediately on learning about the crash on Saturday 22 October 2011, JPSA contacted Superintendent Edna Mamonyane of the JMPD and offered to pay for the blood samples taken from the accused in this case to be analysed by a private laboratory, so as to expedite the matter and bring it to a swift conclusion. We were never taken up on that offer and now we know why.

We can only hope that the rest of the investigation was done properly and that a competent and suitably qualified forensic crash investigator was called in to investigate the crash. At the time of the crash, JPSA also secured the services of IBF Investigations crash investigator, Stan Bezuidenhout, who has over 30 years’ experience in forensic crash investigation – also for free, but did not manage to offer this to the JMPD due to their ignoring our requests for cooperation on the blood tests issue.

At the time of making these offers and soliciting these services, JPSA urged that the accused be charged with the appropriate crimes of driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless or negligent driving and five counts of culpable homicide, but that plea was overridden by the Minister of Transport calling for charges of murder to be brought and the NPA obliged.

A motorist convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol can be imprisoned for up to 6 years (on a first offence), 6 years for reckless or negligent driving and 3 years per count of culpable homicide. That comes to 27 years and would send the right message if it were to be imposed.

Driving under the influence of intoxicating substances is the Number 1 killer on our roads and JPSA has recently put a comprehensive proposal to a number of stakeholders to tackle this scourge effectively. People need to come to the realisation that driving under the influence of intoxicating substances has dire consequences and cannot and will not be tolerated any longer. However, this problem must be effectively tackled before people are killed and/or injured as prevention is better than cure – always!

JPSA again extends its sincere condolences to the families of those affected by this horrific incident.

The allegedly drunk driver, Sibusiso Langa, who mowed down 6 runners training for the Soweto Marathon last Saturday morning was on Friday 22 October 2011, granted R80,000 bail in the Pretoria Magistrates Court. His driving licence has also been suspended as part of his bail conditions.

Following this, the RTMC's Ashref Ismail lauded this action, saying: "We welcome both the R80 000 bail and the suspension of his driver's license... we want this condition to be upheld for all cases of drunken driving." So too does Justice Project South Africa as a much more clear message must be sent to people who think it is clever to drink and then drive.

Some people are however outraged by the fact that Langa has been granted bail at all, given the fact that he has been charged with 5 counts of murder, one of attempted murder and one of driving under the influence of alcohol. The "murder" charges are what have given rise to this outrage and I would like to add a little perspective to this so that we all understand my and JPSA's standpoint on this matter.

Firstly, denying bail to him as a drunk driver who killed 5 people would not stand up in court. He did not take a gun and go on a shooting spree, he got hammered and then lost control of his vehicle, causing the deaths of those poor people. The court has forbidden him from driving until his case has been finalised, thereby effectivly "disarming" him.

You may remember that immediately after hearing about this incident last Saturday, we did a number of things. We contacted the authorities and offered to have the blood samples taken form Langa analysed by a private lab to speed things up. We also appealed to the NPA and all concerned to stick to the appropriate charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless or negligent driving and culpable homicide and urged them to resist the temptation to charge him with murder. At that stage, we didn't even know who he was, just that a drunk driver had killed 5 people. We even organised a well respected forensic crash investigator with more than 30 years experience to investigate the circumstances of the crash for free.

Fat lot of good all that did since we have not been given any of the information or cooperation on the part of the authorities to get the blood tests done for them! In fact, we have been blindly ignored in totality. As for the murder charge, the ever emotional Minister of Transport came out on Sunday demanding that murder charges be brought against Langa. I was not surprised, but I was disappointed - after all, what the hell do I know about prosecuting people, given the fact that my prosecution success rate when I was a policeman was a mere 100%?

So, on Monday 24 October, the accused stood before the Pretoria Magistrates Court for his bail hearing, charged with 5 counts of murder, one of attempted murder and one of driving under the influence of alcohol. No surprise there since the Minister has way more influence than I will ever have. His bail hearing was then remanded to Friday 28 October and bail set at R80 000 with a suspension of his driving licence. In the meantime it emerged that one of his victims was the wife of a senior prosecutor at the Pretoria Magistrates Court.

This should have started the alarm bells ringing, but apparently that was not the case in this matter. At his first appearance regional magistrate Maryke de la Rey explained to Langa that if he is found guilty of murder, the law on minimum sentences stipulates that a first-time offender must get 15 years' imprisonment.

All of that sounds impressive too, but what is really mind-boggling is this is that this case could already have been laid down for trial by now if the prosecution just stuck to the book. The jail sentence allowable for driving under the influence of alcohol is 6 years. For reckless or negligent driving is also 6 years. And the jail sentence allowable for culpable homicide is a further 3 years per count. Cumulatively, that makes 27 years behind bars and I can say without any fear of contradiction that very few murder convictions in South Africa have ever got that long in prison.

Why then is this chap being charged with murder? What he did is despicable beyond description, but is it really murder? Not the way that I see it, no matter how the legal eagles try and argue dolus eventualis with me. The emotional outcries and demands for revenge to be exacted are quite understandable on an emotional level, but they unfortunately have no place in the criminal justice system.

This is a clear case of drunk driving gone wrong and in America, a charge of "vehicular manslaughter" exists and would be brought. But it is not so in South Africa and therefore the deficiencies of the law leads to people trying to bring a greater charge than is really catered for by the circumstances. There are only two charges available and those are murder and culpable homicide - with nothing in-between. Langa's case is neither premeditated murder nor culpable homicide as there is an element of recklessness but not intent in its most clinical definition.

Sure, Langa should have realised that if he was going to get hammered and then drive, then he could have been involved in what people like to call an "accident" - which is a word that by its very meaning negates the argument of premeditated murder. But I ask you this: Just how many people go out with the intention to get blind drunk to then kill people? Yes, muderers sometimes do, but then they usually use guns, knives and the like to commit the crime. They don't generally use motor vehicles - particularly not motor vehicles that cost nearly R1 million to buy!

Langa's case is entirely different to that of the taxi driver who ran over and dragged Kim McCusker for 700 metres six weeks ago - where we were the first to call for attempted murder charges. It is also significantly different to the taxi driver in Pretoria who was in fact convicted of murder for following and mowing down a scooter rider in 2009. In both of those cases, the driver made the decision to attack their victims with their vehicles.

In this case, like the JubJub case, the death and injury of the victims was as a result of a crash where the driver lost control of his vehicle. They did not point their vehicles at groups of people and say to themselves "now I am going to kill you." If they did, then murder is a no-brainer and will not be difficult to prove. The JubJub case is now 19 months old and still the case has not been concluded. Family of the children slaughtered by him have not seen justice - all they have seen is more clever legal defence being presented. But the NPA says that the case is going just fine, so we will have to wait and see what results from it.

Langa will not, I assure you, be looking for a legal aid attorney to defend him. He can afford and will get the best that money can buy and I would not be at all surprised if his case takes two or more years to wrap up; and I will be even less surprised if he is acquitted of the charges of murder. The families of the victims will have to endure a painful and lengthy process that could in fact be considerably shortened and still achieve the desired result of putting this man behind bars if things were not complicated by emotional decisions on the part of the prosecution.

I feel nothing for him and only wish that there was such a charge as vehicular manslaughter in this country, but there isn't and I again reiterate that premeditated murder and culpable homicide are two distinctly different things. The burden of proof in any criminal case lays on the State and it is going to be up to them to establish intent, which I really, really doubt that they will be able to do in a truly impartial court. But that is just it - is the Pretoria Magistrates Court at all impartial, given that one of its own's loved one was killed by Langa?

Even if he is found guilty, what makes anyone believe that he will not take the matter to appeal? If he does that, then the process will be further delayed and in 5 years' time he will still be walking around a free man. Fortunately, he will literally have to walk or be chauffeured around as he is forbidden from driving but let's be honest and ask ourselves just what chance he stands of being caught even if he does violate his bail conditions and drive. For that matter, if he again drives drunk and doesn't crash, what chance is there of him being caught and prosecuted, given that corruption is so rife at the moment and very few legitimate roadblocks are set up?

If the traffic authorities were doing their jobs more effectively, then maybe, just maybe, he would be facing drunk driving charges only and 5 lives would not have been lost and another demolished by his thoughtless actions. But ask yourself when last you were asked to blow in a beathalyser and I guarantee that most people will not be able to remember when last it was - if ever. Then ask those who have been asked to do so what happened if they were over the limit?

Some 20,000 people have been arrested for drunk driving in 11 months, but that is simply a drop in the ocean and what is more important is that some 3% of them have in fact been convicted. This should be ringing the warning bells loud and clear and telling us that we have to change the way we do things if we want to see any change coming about.

Prevention is way better than cure and I really don't think that charging people with murder is the solution. We need to make the idea of drunk driving a social no-no and make those who do it to be seen as the scum of the earth and social outcasts. But we need to do that by catching them before they kill anyone. Punishing one or two in the most severe way possible is a great theory, but in practice it achieves little as it does not create a strong impression that it can easily happen to you. The other big danger here is that if murder is going to be the charge for culpable homicide that results from drunk driving, then what is to stop the State from simply disposing of "driving under the influence of alcohol" and making that "attempted murder" straight off the bat? We need to tackle this sensibly and make amendments to intoxicated driving laws - not try and squeeze cases into other charges that were not designed for this purpose.

Pretoria - Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has called for the driver of the vehicle that mowed down six joggers, killing five of them, in Johannesburg on Saturday to be charged with murder.

According to reports, the driver of a Mercedes-Benz ML500 rammed into the runners preparing for next month's Soweto Marathon at about 6am on the corner of Olifantsfontein and Lever roads in Midrand, Johannesburg.

Witnesses claim he was so drunk that he had to be reminded that he had driven into the group of joggers.

"We want to convey condolences to the families and colleagues of the group of joggers who were killed in this horrific road crash. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all during these difficult moments," Ndebele said.

"Following allegations that the driver of the vehicle was drunk, the driver should be charged with murder. We are calling upon the investigation team and Directorate of Public Prosecutions to ensure that, should there be evidence to suggest that the driver intentionally violated road traffic rules and drove in a reckless manner resulting in death, murder charges be brought against the driver," the Minister said.

Ndebele reiterated that road users who disobey the rules of the road would face the consequences of their actions.

"We have already commenced with our December festive season law enforcement operations, and we want to warn road users that no mercy will be shown to any person who commits any traffic violation," he said, adding that during this Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020 campaign, traffic law enforcement will be intensified without compromise in order to make our roads safe.

Yesterday 57 drunk drivers were arrested in Buffalo City in the Eastern Cape, and 29 drunk drivers were arrested in the Western Cape on Friday and Saturday.

At least 20 000 drunk drivers have been arrested across South Africa over the past eleven months.
From October 2010 to September 2011, 19 780 drunk drivers have been arrested.

In the Western Cape alone, almost 50 drivers have been sentenced to jail for drunk driving in the past year. Since 1 October 2010, 664 drivers have been sentenced in the province for drunk-driving offences, 47 of whom were sent directly to jail without the option of paying fines or serving another type of sentence.

One was jailed for four years, six for three years and the remaining 40 for between six months and two-and-a-half years. A further 12 had their licences cancelled.

As part of the new National Rolling Enforcement Plan (NREP) announced by Ndebele in September last year, from October 2010 to September 2011, 14 017 190 vehicles and drivers were checked, 5 978 981 fines issued for various traffic offences, 19 780 drunk drivers arrested and 53 341 un-roadworthy vehicles (the majority of which are buses and taxis) discontinued from use.

Meanwhile on Friday, a man was arrested for transporting 176 passengers in his bus in Mooinooi outside Brits, in the North West. He had overloaded the bus by 42 people. He was charged with gross overloading and would appear in the Brits Magistrate's court tomorrow.

During the past week as part of the pre-December holiday clean-up operation, more than 200 buses were removed from service in a clampdown on unroadworthy vehicles in Gauteng and the North West by the National Traffic Police (NTP).

Most common defects included brakes, tyres, windscreens, severe oil leaks and faded chevrons and contour markings.
On Thursday, Minister Ndebele and Gauteng MEC for Transport Ismail Vadi joined the NTP during an operation at the Putco Bus Depot in New Canada Road in Johannesburg.

Since 31 August 2011, more than 1 760 un-roadworthy buses and taxis have been taken off South Africa's roads, following Minister Ndebele's instruction that every bus and taxi must be stopped and checked.

From 31 August to 9 October 2011, 340 790 public transport vehicles were stopped and checked, 1 111 mini-buses, 653 buses and 355 trucks discontinued from use, 58 618 fines issued for various public transport offences, more than 1 478 public transport drivers arrested including 256 for drunk driving, 1,000 for overloading, 75 for excessive speed, 23 for reckless and/or negligent driving and 97 in connection with public transport permits.

Last month alone, more than 3 900 arrests were affected and 3,069 vehicles discontinued from use. From 1 to 30 September 2011, 1 033 070 vehicles and drivers were checked and 438 706 fines issued for various traffic offences. - BuaNews

JPSA holds a differenent view

Yesterday, JPSA sent out a media release appealing that the State refrain from calling for murder charges against people where drunk driving and culpable homicide charges can easily be made to stick and the accused can be jailed for significant periods of time. It appears that the Minister of Transport, who clearly has not been watching what happens when these criminals are charged inappropriately, is of a different view.

Yesterday, we wrote:

Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) wishes to extend its heartfelt and sincere condolences to the families of the 5 joggers killed by an allegedly drunk driver in Midrand this morning.

We have been in contact with Superintendent Edna Mamonyane of the JMPD as well as the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Menzi Simelane from the NPA and we have offered to pay for the blood samples taken from the accused in this case to be analysed by a private laboratory so as to expedite the matter and bring it to a swift conclusion.

We have also urged that the accused be charged with the appropriate charges of driving under the influence of alcohol as well as the alternate charges applicable to drink driving and with 5 counts of culpable homicide so as to increase the chances of successful prosecution resulting in as swift a manner as possible. If the proper procedures have been followed in this instance, there is no reason why this cannot be achieved.

Whilst it has become fashionable to try to create sensation by charging people accused of similar crimes with murder, we feel that the State is being forced into an unenviable predicament of trying to prove intent of murder and this is neither necessary nor productive as it wastes valuable time and has not as yet yielded the desired results in similar cases. In fact, all it has done is to have delayed justice and wasted valuable court time.

A motorist convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol can be imprisoned for up to 6 years (on a first offence) on the drink driving charge and 3 years per count of culpable homicide and JPSA will be pushing for the maximum sentence to be imposed in this instance.

Driving under the influence of intoxicating substances is the Number 1 killer on our roads and JPSA has recently put a comprehensive proposal to a number of stakeholders to tackle this scourge effectively. People need to come to the realisation that driving under the influence of intoxicating substances has dire consequences and cannot and will not be tolerated any longer.

Please let's consider our actions

Please understand that the comments I have made do not result from some misguided, liberal view of how the criminal justice system should work. To the contrary, they come from extensive law enforcement experience and seeing what works and what doesn't.

The enormous waste of time and effort in the JubJub case for example has resulted in his case not having been finalised yet, where if the State had simply stuck to the charges of "driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs having a narcotic effect", as well as four counts of culpable homicide, he could already have been sentenced to 18 years in prison. People actually convicted of murder have been given way less harsh sentences in the past and it is really important to ensure that justice is swift and not delayed due to wanting to create sensation. We have no doubt that eventually one of these murder charges will in fact be proven, based on dolus eventualis (foreseeing that an action could result in a consequence) but that is going to take some doing on the part of a very skilled prosecutor. Just remember that there has been so little education of members of the public with respect to how their vehicles can kill people and how alcohol aggrivates this that it is not going to be easy to argue that an accused could have foreseen his or her actions leading to the death of another at the time they started drinking. The same thing goes for a person who overtakes in the face of oncoming traffic. They can simply argue that they had a reasonable expectation that they could make it.

Citing the example of Taxi Driver convicted for murder in 2009 for mowing down a lady riding a scooter is nowhere near the same thing as a drunk driver ploughing into six runners. Until such time as prosecutors are willing, and more importantly able to pursue convictions with the same vigour as defence attorneys try to get their clients acquitted, we will not have a successful prosecution for "road murder" resulting from reckless or negligent driving or drunk driving - unless the accused cannot afford a competent defence attorney. Sad, I know but I am afraid that it is the blatant truth.

In the meantime, alcohol producers must be compelled to pay a tax to be used exclusively for tackling drink driving by mounting roadblocks at all times of the day and night - as well as launching impactful anti-drinking advertising. This money must not go to government coffers to be squandered on parties (R7 million for SADC Decade of Action launch) or travel expenses (R50 million for DoT plus R35 million credit card expenses), it must come to those who give a damn about road safety and can make a difference if we are only given the money and the chance to do so!

But what the hell do I know anyway?

Howard Dembovsky

JOHANNESBURG – Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) has reacted with utter dismay and horror at the announcement that Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has instructed SANRAL to halt all work on Toll Roads. To use your words, Mister Minister, we are “shocked” at your lack of foresight!

In a statement released by the Department of Transport on Sunday 23 October, it was stated that “The Minister of Transport Mr Sibusiso Ndebele has instructed the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) to halt all road projects processes related to the tolling of national roads.” The release goes on to say “He says while the first phase of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Plan has delivered good road infrastructure, it was an expensive exercise that has drawn sharp views from the public.”

Nonsense! The first phase of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Plan has NOT been completed yet, unless the first phase only included the N1 and R21 freeways! The N12/N3 freeways in Johannesburg are in such a shocking, demolished state of dilapidation that they constantly cause crashes and daily gridlock traffic and calling a halt to their reinstatement as usable freeways is little short of insanity on the part of the Minister.

There is a VAST difference between calling a halt to planned tolling and calling a halt to the construction of roads which have been demolished by SANRAL and its contractors and the state of the Johannesburg roads currently under construction can only be described as treacherous.

One of the most prevalent factors in road fatalities is poor engineering and if the Minister thinks that he can punish motorists for being angry with his and SANRAL’s intent to profit from tolling freeways, then he is not only childish, but is displaying the traits of a dictator.

The answer to implementing and maintaining roads infrastructure in South Africa lies in coming up with workable solutions that benefit the public and from spending monies collected from existing taxation and possibly even reasonable tolling on roads infrastructure – not looking to make SANRAL and foreign companies stinking rich. Don’t try and make the public think that you are sympathetic to their plight of lack of affordability Mr Minister when it was you who previously said “if you don’t like it, catch a taxi.” Do you really think that we all have such short memories as to forget you said that?

There is nothing wrong with saying “Minister Ndebele says all these processes, including a consultative processes initiated by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, should be allowed to reach their logical conclusions to ensure that all parties concerned and their respective views are brought on board” but blackmailing motorists by leaving current road construction projects unfinished is completely unacceptable.

This announcement and instruction should be immediately retracted and/or clarified, the currently dilapidated roads finished; or at least reinstated to a condition that can be defined as freeways and some semblance of order restored to our roads. The matter of tolls can be properly discussed and resolved when these roads are sorted out. Failing this, Minister Ndebele and SANRAL are lining themselves up for litigation and possibly even criminal charges for destroying what roads were in place.

On a final note, JPSA again notes that important announcements are being made by the Department of Transport on a Sunday when few journalists are on duty. We have to question why this tactic is being adopted more and more often by the Department of Transport.

Full transcript of DoT media release follows:

Issued by: Ministry of Transport

Attention: News Editors

For immediate release:

23 October 2011

TRANSPORT MINISTER ORDERS A HALT TO TOLL ROAD PROJECTS

The Minister of Transport Mr Sibusiso Ndebele has instructed the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) to halt all road projects processes related to the tolling of national roads.

The Minister is of the view that consultative processes should be allowed to take place to offer concerned parties an opportunity to share their views on the toll road programme.

While he believes that the country requires good road infrastructure to meet its economic growth targets, the Minister says this shouldn’t put a huge financial burden on the shoulders of consumers.

He says while the first phase of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Plan has delivered good road infrastructure, it was an expensive exercise that has drawn sharp views from the public.

“All spheres of government should be part of a consultative process with all affected parties, consumers in the main. Good infrastructure is a necessity for a better future for our country, but this requirement must not leave our people even poorer,” says Minister Ndebele.

Cabinet recently appointed a Task Team that includes Minister Ndebele and the Minister of Finance to look into the issue of toll roads.

Minister Ndebele says all these processes, including a consultative processes initiated by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, should be allowed to reach their logical conclusions to ensure that all parties concerned and their respective views are brought on board.

Issued by

Ministry of Transport. Forum Building. Cnr Schoeman and Struben St. Pretoria.

For more information please contact Tiyani Rikhotso on 083 800 9936

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has ordered an investigation into a fake licence scam in Johannesburg. 

According to a report by The Star today (Tuesday, 18 October), fake learner's and driving licences are being sold across Johannesburg for between R800 and R4 500. The Star investigation claimed to have found that fake licences were available at four of the five City of Johannesburg testing centres.

They were primarily organised by car guards and instructors from "fly by night" driving schools who work with centre examiners. At Langlaagte a licence cost R4 500, at Randburg and Florida R2 500, and in Sandton R2 700. The cheapest learner's licence was R800.

“Fraud and corruption will not be tolerated at any licensing centre. Therefore, we have instructed the National Traffic Police to investigate allegations of a fake licence scam in Johannesburg."

Yesterday (Monday, 17 October), a traffic officer [from the National Traffic Police] and motorist appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court for bribery and corruption. On Sunday (16 October 2011), the traffic officer was arrested in Pretoria East for allegedly accepting a R100 bribe from the motorist on Saturday (15 October).

The motorist was also arrested for bribing the traffic officer. Over the past year, several officials and members of the public have been arrested for fraud and corruption related to vehicle and driver licensing. We want to re-iterate our warning to any person who involves themselves in such activities, that we will leave no stone unturned in such matters. Those who accept a bribe, as well as those who offer the bribe, will face the full might of the law. We are also calling upon the public to report such criminal activities to the National Traffic Call Centre on 0861 400 800,”said Minister Ndebele.

JPSA Comment:

It is very encouraging to see that Minister Ndebele is taking this matter seriously. However, it is doubtful that the National Traffic Police have the resources and/or expertise to deal with such an investigation, much less to actually deal with it effectively. This is not intended to demean the National Traffic Police in any way, but they are traffic police, not investigators and they are certainly not equipped to deal with corruption and fraud investigations. They are therefore not a cure-all either.

I once again find myself asking if Minister Ndebele understands the problem or whether he is simply reacting in order to circumstances without considering how to effectively tackle the problem?

Sadly, whilst the National Traffic police pitching up in their mighty Ford Everests, blue lights flashing and sirens blaring may scare these operations underground for a little while, I have little doubt that they will not address the problem effectively.

A complete revamp of the Driving Licence Testing Centre system is required, and this will have to include comprehensive counter-corruption and fraud regimes that have been thoroughly thought out and properly implemented if any of it is to be effective.

Given that 4 out of 5 testing centres under the control of one individual at the JMPD are allegedly involved in these activities, it is also necessary to hold Director Gerneke accountable for what is going on in his testing centres.

Howard Dembovsky.

By CANDICE BAILEY AND DUMISANI DUBE

Fake learner’s and driving licences are being sold across Joburg for anything between R800 and R4 500 – and some take as little as three minutes to print out.

A Star investigation found that at four of the five City of Joburg testing centres, fake licences were available for those willing to pay.

Mostly, these fake licences come with a licensing centre’s stamp, official signatures and the holder’s fingerprints.

And those selling them are car guards and instructors from fly-by-night driving schools who hang around the city’s driving licence test centres and admit to colluding with the examiners.

It has become such a problem that a six-year probe by the Special Investigating Unit into corruption at a driving licence testing centre uncovered 11 175 invalid (fake) licences.

The Star’s investigation involved ordering fake licences and telling corrupt officials involved that they would return later for the forgeries.

The price of the licence depended on the centre. At Langlaagte a licence costs R4 500, while at Sandton one can be bought for R2 700.

At the Randburg and Florida testing stations, be prepared to fork out R2 500.

The cheapest learner’s licence is R800. The learner has to write the test, but the answers are circled on the answer sheet by the time it gets to the learner.

When The Star visited the stations, it took just an hour to secure a licence.

According to the instructor at Langlaagte, the R4 500 fee would include the hiring of the truck, paying off the examiner, his fee and the actual test fees.

How it works is that the learner driver books his or her test legitimately, but is not penalised for errors during a driving exam.

At Florida, several options were available.

A car guard, known to The Star, offered a fake temporary licence for R1 200 and a fake licence card for as little as R1 800.

The licence, which is allegedly printed at a pub, came with a Florida licensing centre stamp, a signature, fingerprints, and red tape covering the holder’s photograph, as the original temporary licences do.

All that was needed up front was R300 and two photos. The holder would have to bring the ink pad for their fingerprints.

And once they receive their licence, they would pay the remainder of the R1 200.

“It looks real, and if a metro police officer has to stop you, he won’t know the difference. The only thing is it is not on the system,” said the car guard.

The fake card licence, according to the car guard, took a little longer to print – 30 minutes to be exact. It would cost R1 800.

According to the car guard, there were several more options for getting a licence.

A “sure pass” learner’s licence with the answers already filled onto the answer sheet would cost R900, in addition to the R108 admin fee charged at the centre.

“About R600 goes to the admin staff inside and R300 goes to the examiner. You won’t have to fill in anything, you will just make as if you write – the answers will be filled in,” said the car guard.

He said it needed to be organised through a driving school.

For your driving licence, advised the car guard, the person would book a legitimate test but would will never have to get behind the wheel.

Known as a “sure pass”, it would cost R2 500.

A similar “sure pass” learners at the Randburg testing station cost only R800.

“You will have to write, but the answers are on the page. A licence at the centre would cost R2 500.

“Come with your money on the day of your learners and I will give it to the examiners,” said the car guard.

At Randburg, a driving school teacher said he was friends with all the examiners and could guarantee a “sure pass”.

A Soweto man, who owns a fake licence but does not want to be identified as he fears prosecution, said it took him three days in February to get the licence. But he never collected his card because he later found out that the licence was never properly processed.

Joburg metro police department spokeswoman Edna Mamonyane said corruption at testing centres was a challenge.

“We are trying to uproot it,” she said. - The Star

JPSA Comment

Firstly, people who buy these things are stupid criminals! The 11 175 cases are a drop in the ocean and all of these people should have been arrested on the spot and charged with fraud (amongst other things) when it emerged that they have fakes.

Surely people realise that cheating their way through a driving test is the most dangerous thing that anyone can do. If you cannot pass your driving licence legitimately, then chances are that you cannot drive properly and that means that you are putting your own and other people's lives at risk.

I find it little short of astounding that the JMPD has the audacity to say "corruption at testing centres was a challenge" and “We are trying to uproot it". Trying how? By insulting JPSA when we put a proposal to the JMPD to tackle corruption at no charge to the JMPD? They are not trying at all. They are turning a blind eye to it in the hope that it will simply fix itself!

Howard Dembovsky.