KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mr. Willies Mchunu, commended the department's Road Traffic Inspectorate officers for work well done on suspending 68 heavies at its Mkhondeni Traffic office.
Mchunu announced this after receiving reports of the operation that the RTI station undertook from the 2nd of June to today (the 9th ). During that period a total of 105 heavies were stopped and tested and 68 were suspended for various defects. Most of the trucks that were suspended were from countries such as Congo, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia just to mention a few. These trucks had an array of offenses which ranged from over loading, defective breaks, worn out tyres, oil leaks, and problems with suspension. Their permits and operating discs were confiscated by the cross-border agency. One truck is believed to have been carrying a hazardous chemical without a Hazchem certificate, which could have led to environmental havoc had there been a spill.
Mchunu reiterated the commitment he made of ensuring that unroadworthy heavies be taken off the road following the gruesome accident involving a truck on Field's Hill, which killed 24 people last year.
“I would like to applaud the officers for working tirelessly to ensure that they rid our roads of heavies that have the potential to endanger other road users. We will escalate these types of operations as part of the clamp-down on unroadworthy vehicles. When you enter KwaZulu-Natal, you are entering a zero tolerance zone for noncompliant vehicles, especially heavies. No operator should allow his driver to travel in an unroadworthy truck and without the necessary classification when transporting hazardous goods that pose a danger to road users and the environment. Truck owners should play their part to ensure that we prevent road accidents, crashes and fatalities on our roads,” said Mchunu.