Pretoria – Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe said the haulage truck driver recorded by another motorist driving dangerously, nearly causing a few accidents, has been found and arrested.
Shongwe has condemned the incident, which has been widely shared on social media, saying the driver’s conduct “put many lives in great danger with that type of driving”.
He added that such drivers should no longer be allowed on the road as they endanger other people’s lives.
“People like the driver in question do not deserve to have driving licences. Crashes that involve trucks often produces many fatalities especially when public transport is involved,” he said.
Look at this truck driver…Mpumalanga. @TrafficRTMC @MbalulaFikile @_ArriveAlive pic.twitter.com/J1AH4qoElg
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) May 15, 2022
Shongwe called on truck owners to assess drivers they hire and always instil a sense of responsible driving in them “to ensure that they always adhere to the rules of the road and become road safety ambassadors”.
Traffic authorities in Mpumalanga have revealed that although the incident occurred in on R34 in KwaZulu-Natal, the truck has a Mpumalanga registration.
“The driver has since been found and arrested,” the Mpumalanga community safety, security and liaison department added.
“To ensure such incidences don’t repeat, the department will engage with the owner of the truck. The department will also have a programme to engage other truck owners to ensure safety on the roads.”
Mpumalanga traffic authorities acknowledged the contributions made by the trucking industry in the economy of the country, but stressed that those driving the trucks must to do so with great caution and discipline.
IOL