Durban - Members of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature are outraged that they have yet to receive a copy of the commission report into the Road Traffic Inspectorate’s illfated fitness tests.
On Tuesday, transport committee members were briefed by Transport MEC Willies Mchunu on the implementation of the recommendations made by the commission - almost a year after the premier received the report.
Committee member, Rafeek Shah, said: “It is disrespect to the committee and disrespect to the constitution of this country that we have no single copy and summary of it, yet we are supposed to interrogate it.”
Committee chairman, Mxo-lisi Kaunda, earlier told the committee there were no records of the report being tabled in the legislature, despite an understanding that this had happened.
“We are not happy with the process where people decided not to adhere to procedures that are supposed to be followed.
“It is a matter we are to take up with the Speaker so that we resolve this, even for the near future, to prevent it occurring again,” Kaunda said.
Committee member Nhlakanipho Ntombela complained about the legislature being turned into a joke due to failure by departments to follow its procedures.
Ntombela recalled an instance where there had been an administrative blunder in the tabling of a bill in the legislature some time ago.
“It is not the first time. It is making us a joke, unnecessary,” he said.
Although Kaunda said the legal section of the Office of the Premier had indicated the report would be made public on Wednesday, provincial government spokesman, Thami Ngwenya, could not confirm this.
The commission was instituted after eight aspirant traffic recruits died and others were injured during a fitness test at a Pietermaritzburg stadium in December 2012.
More than 30 000 applicants attended the two-day test for 90 RTI trainee posts.
On Tuesday, Mchunu said compensation had been paid to the victims.
“The payments to those who suffered injuries and were hospitalised was pitched at R10 000. There is one applicant who was pitched at R100 000 because of the amount of stay in hospital,” he said, adding that payments were also made to parents, who were eligible to make claims.
He said in matters where the law had been broken, “they have since been referred to police for investigation.”
Mchunu said a process had been put in place to institute internal disciplinary proceedings against implicated officials.
However, he would brief Premier Senzo Mchunu on the disciplinary hearings on Wednesday, prior to the matter being tabled before the executive council meeting.
Mchunu said a process was under way to review recruitment policy of traffic trainees in line with the commission’s recommendations.
Daily News