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As South Africa braces for its annual festive season surge in road traffic, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) has issued an urgent call for better working conditions and support for traffic officers. 

“Traffic officers play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of South Africa’s roads during one of the busiest and most dangerous periods of the year,” says POPCRU President Thulani Ngwenya. “Yet, even as they stand ready to protect lives, they are already working with both hands tied behind their back, as severe organisational challenges and poor working conditions continue to hamper their effectiveness.”

The union's concerns come as the Department of Transport implements its 46-day Festive Road Safety Campaign, running from the beginning of December to mid-January. The campaign aims to reduce the devastating toll of road accidents, which claimed 1,285 lives during the 2023 holiday period – an alarming average of 31 fatalities every day.                                                                                      

Acknowledging these "scary and staggering" road safety statistics, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy announced that the department would be implementing measures such as 24-hour traffic policing and intensified law enforcement, particularly in high-risk routes zones.

But Ngwenya warns that while these measures are vital to saving lives, they come at a high cost to the well-being of traffic officers, who are short-staffed, under-resourced, and working under extremely difficult circumstances. 

“Simply implementing 24/7 traffic policing is not enough to deal with the issues on our roads. Government must also accelerate recruitment efforts to build capacity, and increase its focus on providing traffic police with essential tools of the trade – like working vehicles. As things currently stand, our traffic police are grossly under-capacitated, and the department must take care not to overburden them with excessive work hours.

“Just as importantly, traffic officers must receive proper and timely compensation for their efforts. Government has dragged its heels in the past, and some of our members have waited years to receive their overtime payments. These types of delays are unacceptable and demoralising, and we will be watching closely to ensure that our members are treated with respect.”

Adding to these concerns, Ngwenya stated: “We are calling for the department to desist from creating problems for our members by issuing unlawful instructions. These actions are not compliant with the rules of engagement, and we will not adopt a ‘comply now and complain later’ mentality. Whatever the department is doing, it is unlawful,” he emphasised.

POPCRU has further highlighted critical issues facing traffic officers, including a fragmented command structure across provinces, and significant disparities in compensation and benefits. 

"The current system, where command of traffic police is scattered across different provincial departments, creates chaos in coordination, and unfair and unequal working conditions. Traffic police across various provinces have different salaries and benefits, shift systems, and even different uniforms. The result is that members often relocate to provinces where conditions of service are more favourable, leaving other provinces with a severe lack of personnel.”

Pointing to the recent deployment of 156 newly trained traffic officers in the Eastern Cape, he notes that while this sets a positive example, the need across all provinces remains vast. “However, the reality is that as long as traffic officers are located within provincial departments with other primary mandates, traffic policing will not receive the necessary prioritisation or resource allocation,” says Ngwenya. 

For example, traffic police in Mpumalanga are split between the Department of Public Works and the Department of Transport, and Western Cape traffic police fall under the new Department of Monitoring.

In response, POPCRU advocates for immediate reforms, including the nationalisation of traffic police under the Department of Transport, creating a single, integrated line of command for improved strategic oversight. Standardised conditions of service would help prevent staff migration, and the union has demanded immediate action to fill vacancies, and provide proper tools and resources for officers to perform their duties safely and effectively. 

Addressing traffic officers, Ngwenya has cautioned them to remain vigilant, and wished them well as they perform a vital public service. He has further urged them to perform their work with pride and integrity, and resist succumbing to any bribery, setting a clear example for all South Africans. 

The union also encouraged motorists to respect traffic laws and support these officers during the busy festive period.

"These men and women are working at the frontlines of our communities, serving long hours through heat and rain to enforce the rule of law and save lives, despite the challenges they face. With this in mind, it's time for government to take action to resolve these long-standing issues.

“Meanwhile, we must all recognise that road safety is a shared responsibility. We implore all drivers to obey the rules of the road, avoid drinking and driving, and help promote a safer driving culture in our country,” he concludes. 

Issued by Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union