DA calls for formal enquiry into death of traffic officer

Date: 15 September 2017 By: Andries van Zyl

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo has written to the MEC for Transport, Ms Nandi Ndalane, to establish a formal enquiry after another traffic officer was knocked down fatally by a vehicle over the weekend in Musina.

The traffic officer was controlling traffic on the motorway when the accident happened. Several bystanders and pedestrians were also injured. “The DA sends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the traffic officer who was killed and we wish those who sustained injuries a speedy recovery,” said the DA in a press release.

The DA said that they had noted that this was not an isolated incident in Limpopo. They referred to an incident in Tzaneen, among others, in 2016 where a traffic officer was hit and killed by a speeding car while performing point duty, while another one was also killed on the road as he was assisting a road user with directions during a traffic operation on the N1 in Modimolle in 2015. In a separate incident, a traffic officer also sustained serious injuries after a vehicle hit him on the N1 highway near the Codrington off-ramp at the Mantsole weigh bridge in 2016. “The DA is deeply concerned that our traffic officers are not safe on the roads whilst performing their duties. We urge MEC Ndalane to probe the circumstances of these accidents and ensure that traffic officers are protected and that they receive effective training on how to deal with speeding and unruly motorists,” read the release.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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