Capetonians can now be jailed if their cars smoke too much

Cape Town – Keep cars healthy, or face up to 30 days in jail, the City of Cape Town has warned.

The City of Cape Town’s Health Directorate said in a statement on Sunday that cars were the biggest source of air pollution in Cape Town, and appealed to the public to report excessive smoke emissions in vehicles.

Cars emitting dark smoke could be towed at the owner’s expense, the City said.

"Any person who is guilty of an offence in terms of the Air Quality Management By-law is liable on conviction to imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or to a fine, or to both a fine and imprisonment," the statement said.

The City’s mayoral committee member for health, Councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli, said offenders could be reported to the City’s Air Quality Management Unit during office hours.

When reporting offenders, the registration number of the vehicle; the make and model; the location and direction of travel; and the date and time that the observation was made would be needed.

"It is key to get all vehicle owners to assess their behaviour and determine whether they’re contributing to the problem," he said.