Share

Another govt project ends up in file 13

IT has just become public knowledge: yet another government project costing billions has ended up in file 13.

In a few seconds, the much-maligned “Zero Tolerance” campaign ended up in a “Zero Liability” farce, with the publicised story regarding the 10111 operator refusing to dispatch traffic officers to an alleged drunk-driving crash site.

The operator cited such bizarre reasons as, “if no injuries, then there’s no need for police presence”, etc. other than filling out an accident report at the nearest police station within 24 hours.

As fate would have it, it turned out that all the ingredients enshrined in the Zero Tolerance campaign were present: drunk driving, a fake tow-truck operator, false number plates, tampering with evidence, obstructing the ends of justice, etc.

The list goes on.

Although the Zero Tolerance campaign was initiated to address all road traffic offences and aggressions, its main aim was to focus on drunk-driving behaviour, which is the biggest killer (no, murderer) on our roads. And that’s a fact. So, which part of this campaign did the operator not understand?

Was public concern that drunk driving was strongly suspected, not respected?

Easy answer: public opinion in this country counts for nothing.

Advice to the traffic authorities: go back to grass-root levels, buy a few dictionaries if need be, explain the meaning of zero tolerance to all law enforcement staff and their subsidiaries, and then thank the good lord that no fatalities occurred at this “attempted murder” scene.

ANTHONY TIMMS

Cramond

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 534 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 753 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.90
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE