Sometimes South Africa really confuses me, alot.
Driving to work today I was listening to some radio station, might have been Jacaranda or Highveld (no laughing). They were discussing the recent clampdown from metro cops on traffic offenders. People are being taken to jail for crossing solid lines, driving in emergency lanes and other offences.
This is brilliant. I am all for it. Start with the little things and the ripple effect will be vast.
What gets my goat is that the SA public are never satisfied. The cops are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. It seems to me that South Africans are happy to call for the police to put the taxi drivers in jail for driving in emergency lanes. Yet when a fat cat driving his Mercedes is taken to task for the same offence they put it on the radio.
This is what I have to say: Shut up and drive. Let the Metro Police do their jobs whether it effects you or not stay out of it when they are actually doing something right.
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November 16th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
I agree that we need to praise the Metro police for their action, however for us to take the statement shut up and drive is a bit close minded. we as the public have a right to not only congratulate the Metro police but also to voice our opinions and express matters that concern our safety. Equality needs to be shown to all offenders from the “fat cats” in the Mercs to the taxi drivers. Currently this is not happening and for us to just “shut up and drive” will only compound the matter. I say speak up and let our opinions be heard. As long as we do not make the matters worse on the roads we have a right to speak out.
November 16th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
People get frustrated by police-actions like this, because they feel more pressing actions are not taken – and unless you’re Mr. Nitwit himself, you know what actions people are referring to.
But then, police are going ‘safe’:
1) Motorists usually don’t shoot to kill;
2) Motorists usually don’t need forceful action (because as a cop, you would land in jail – ‘use of excessive force’, thanks to human rights lawyers and biased judges);
3) Tickets bring in money for the government – so, the cops get a ‘target’ – to subsidise themselves, so to speak.
Just to give you an idea: in Holland driving 4 km too fast, after corrections, costs you R 500,00 – even after midnight, when the roads are empty.
Besides that, ticket-income is budgeted on a yearly basis, so they plan how many tickets should be processed – and they do it now completely automated: video cameras read your licence plate, send it to central computer which prints the ticket, so you have it in the mail the next day – no human processing.
The same is implemented in SA – the number of cameras keeps increasing.
Sorry, but there will be no ripple-effect: motorists just become the new cash cow – except for the ones in unlicenced get-away cars, of course…
November 18th, 2007 at 7:57 am
“This is brilliant. I am all for it”…
You have obviously never spent a day in a Police jail cell…
You are locked up with criminals who could have been arrested for anything ranging from public drunkenness to Rapists and murderers. Food is virtually non existent. You are very lucky if they will even allow you to make a phone call within a couple of hours of your arrest. You are screamed and shouted at and told you are a piece of sh**t by the police. Don’t bother to try and even ask them anything. This will lead to even further abuse. The cells are filthy and infested with lice. You will be very lucky if you have any running water in the cell, and by in a luxury palace if you actually have a toilet that flushes. Usually it is clogged, stinks like hell with and you would not want to go near it. You may suffer abuse or assault from fellow prisoners. The police don’t care. You are a criminal. Innocent or guilty. That is the way you are treated.
Bearing in mind the above…
Are you still “all for it” if you happened to take a wrong turn somewhere on the road or exceeded the speed limit?
This is totally ridiculous and an abuse of our basic human rights.