Drivers' Threat to Bring Gauteng to a Standstill

Drivers' threat to bring Gauteng to a standstill

Nov 15, 2010 | Getrude Makhafola | 65 comments

THE South African Transport and Allied Workers Union is threatening to bring Gauteng to a standstill tomorrow.

  Share 89

Satawu deputy president Robert Mashego said commuters in the province would be left stranded when their members protest against implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto). Aarto is a drivers' demerit system which Satawu says will result in a "high proportion" of commercial and professional drivers losing their licences and jobs.

Taxi, bus, truck and train drivers in Gauteng will take part in the march. Instead of ferrying workers and pupils, Mashego says their members will assemble in Pretoria for a march to the Union Buildings.

"Our commuters will have to bear with us since there is no other way we can address this," Mashego said.

The union's general secretary, Zenzo Mahlangu, said they met with Department of Transport director- general George Mahlalela last week in a bid to resolve their differences.

"The DG said we could continue engaging on a technical level regarding Aarto. That is what we agreed on in March. The march was already set for Tuesday," Mahlangu said.

He said the meeting did not yield anything and that the union was prepared to take the matter further.

"If the Gauteng march does not make them pay attention, then we will mobilise a national march. If all fails, we will escalate this to a political level," Mahlangu said.

Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) acting chief executive Collins Letsoalo has said that commercial vehicle owners will have an operator's card.

"If there is something wrong with the commercial vehicle, whether it is tyres or brakes, the points are added to his card. The worker is not responsible for the employer's vehicle, but if they skip a robot or drive drunk, then points will be added to their personal licence," Letsoalo said. Mahlangu said Letsoalo did not mention the drivers who will be jobless as a result of operator vehicles being taken off the road.

In Aarto every licensed driver starts with 0 points and the maximum permissible number of points is 12. A person is allowed to drive until they have 12 points. Exceeding 12 points results in a three-month suspension of the licence.

One point will be reduced every three months if no further contraventions occur within the three-month period. A licence will be cancelled when it has been suspended for the third time.