The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) has introduced a strict, zero-tolerance enforcement approach targeting unroadworthy minibus taxis, in an effort to improve the streets of Joburg.
The operation took place last week, when the JMPD Chief of Police, Patrick Jaca, personally intercepted a white Toyota minibus taxi after witnessing a moving violation.
The department has since emphasised that JMPD officials will not hesitate to remove unroadworthy vehicles from the road completely or make you fix it while they watch.
Passenger Safety
Upon closer inspection, it was found that the white minibus taxi was loaded with passengers and operating with a completely faulty handbrake. This is a serious safety hazard, especially for a vehicle responsible for carrying members of the public.
In an effort to prioritise passenger safety, the passengers were promptly and safely offloaded from the unsafe minibus and were transferred to an alternative vehicle to continue their journey.
Instead of allowing the driver to pay a routine fine and drive off with a fatal mechanical fault, or entirely relying on the department’s impound process, officers grounded the vehicle on the spot.
The taxi driver was instructed to call a mechanic and source parts immediately.
The taxi’s rear drum brakes, brake shoes, and wheel hub assembly were disassembled and repaired along the roadside under the supervision of JMPD officers.
The driver also paid an outstanding infringement penalty of R250 at the JMPD Wemmer Traffic office before the vehicle was cleared.
‘A vital turning point’
Jaca described the operation as a vital turning point for law enforcement, not just in Johannesburg but potentially across South Africa.
“For too long, the enforcement of public transport regulations has been treated as a paper exercise or a transactional issue.”
“Commuters are packed into these vehicles daily, trusting their lives to operators who sometimes neglect basic maintenance.”
“Simply writing a ticket allows a dangerous rolling coffin to keep driving on our roads,” said Jaca.
The paradigm shifts
He added that this is a model the department wants to establish across the city from now on.
“We are shifting the paradigm.”
“If your public transport vehicle is found with a safety defect that can be fixed, you will stop immediately.”
“You will repair it right then and there, or it will not move,” he emphasised.
Repair critical vehicles
JMPD officials will also not hesitate to remove the vehicle from the road and impound it if it is found to violate roadside rules.
“We are revolutionising law enforcement to ensure that every time a commuter enters a taxi, they are safe,” said Jaca.
