Kenny Africa Shares His Career Journey
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NTRACK 46 YEARS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT Kenny Africa shares his career journey ALCOHOL AND ROADS FOCUS ON CHILDREN Help us to create #BoozeFreeRoads Making our children safer on the roads PB ON TRACK TRANSport AND PUBLIC WORKS NEWSLETTER | ISSUE #22 DECEMBERON TRACK 20191 CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE 3 Holiday road safety message 4 Alcohol and road safety 6 Term priorities of the new Provincial Minister 8 Road safety school projects 10 Freight Strategy emphasises safety 12 Kenny Africa shares his career 6 journey 14 New number plates for the Western Cape 15 Road Transport Management System (RTMS) 8 VISION: To lead in the delivery of government infrastructure and related services. MISSION: The Department of Transport and Public Works delivers infrastructure and services to promote socio-economic outcomes and safe, empowered and connected communities. EDITORIAL TEAM: Editor: Marion de Vries 12 Head of Communication: Jandré Bakker Design: Sylvanus du Plessis and Hantie Engelbrecht CONTACT THE ON TRACK TEAM: Cover photo: Marion de Vries Telephone: 021 483 8315 | Fax: 021 483 9851 Contributors: Stephen Heyns, Marion de Vries, Email: [email protected] Carl Marx, Sophia Lourens, Al-Ameen Kafaar, Website: www.westerncape.gov.za/tpw | Twitter: @WCGovTPW Nina September and Clive le Keur. Please send us your feedback and suggestions. 2 ON TRACK ON TRACK 3 HOD’S HOLIDAY MESSAGE dry parts of the province remain Springboks winning the Rugby in the grip of drought. We can World Cup. The national pride no longer take water for granted. that this well-deserved victory South Africa is a water-stressed brought about in South Africans country, and climate change across lines of race, gender and is likely to make the weather age was truly inspiring. When even less predictable. Let’s keep we act together, we can achieve bringing awareness to how we great things. use every precious drop of water. I want to thank every one of you This year, Provincial Top for the part you played in making Management launched a the work of the Department a As 2019 draws to a close, let us campaign to foster good mental success this year. For those of pause and reflect on what the health. The Department of you who will be taking leave, I year has brought for us both Transport and Public Works wish you a restful and relaxing personally and professionally. is proud of having a high- time with friends and family. Let’s remember what went well performance culture; of serving For those of you who will be on and be grateful. Let’s remind the public to the best of our duty over the festive season, I ourselves about what could ability. This can be stressful. I am thank you for your service. I look have been better and commit committed to creating a caring forward to all of you coming back ourselves to build on what we culture in the Department. I in the new year with renewed have learned. encourage all of you to look after determination to keep improving your own well-being and the well- the lives of all the residents of The Western Cape came to the being of your fellow employees. If the Western Cape. For those brink of a “dry taps” scenario you need free professional help, celebrating Christmas, may it be during the 2015-2018 drought. do not hesitate to call the toll-free a peaceful time, with your family While there have been good rains number 0800 611 155. and loved ones. this year, our dams have not yet completely recovered, and the A key highlight of 2019 was the Jacqui Gooch And so, another year has almost but rather to make travelling time come to an end and we are about part of the holiday. As we plan to enter the 2019 festive season. our trips, we should add in rest For some of us, this is a time of joy periods, so that we take a planned where we reconnect with family rest-break every two hours or 200 and friends. For others, this is km of travel. This is important to a time to relax and take a well- deal with the creeping fatigue that deserved break from work and affects our perceptive abilities and travel to an inland holiday town, slows down our reactions. or a destination next to the sea. Unfortunately, this is also a time The importance of a wide-awake, where we have to keep our eyes sober driver cannot be over- on the road fatality barometer to emphasised. It goes without saying REMEMBER determine whether, this year, we that drivers should refrain from will have managed to secure a using alcohol when getting behind decrease in fatalities. the wheel, regardless of how far ALCOHOL they will be driving. Alcohol and Every year we sing the same song roads don’t mix. A special force AND ROADS – requesting motorists to please of Random Breath Testing (RBT) plan their trips and prepare well DON’T MIX so that they do not have to rush, Continued on page 4 > 2 ON TRACK ON TRACK 3 traffic officers will be deployed 100% sure it is safe. In fact, it is especially children. over this time to stop drivers seriously dangerous, and there is and test them at any time of the no guarantee that we will arrive at We have all worked hard and day, and at random locations. our destination any earlier. Giving deserve a well-deserved break This effort to curb the scourge way and displaying some courtesy at the end of the year. Let us of driving under the influence as we all share the road will help celebrate responsibly as we has been strengthened by our ensure that we all get there safely. also spare a thought for all mobile Evidentiary Breath Alcohol law enforcement and medical Testing (EBAT) unit, a specialised Many of the most gruesome personnel who will be on duty vehicle with equipment that can crashes that we see are due to during this time. collect evidence next to the side excessively high travelling speeds. of the road for use in criminal The danger increases dramatically I wish you a blessed festive season prosecutions. during holiday periods because and a most enjoyable new year. roads are generally much busier. During this time, let’s not overtake So, keep to the speed limit at all in the face of oncoming traffic times, and slow down when you Kenny Africa or at any place where we are not notice pedestrians near the road, Provincial Traffic Chief Through its Safely Home road safety calendar, the Department is appealing to road users to help create booze-free roads during December and January. We & answer some frequently-asked questions from people who are interested in learning more about the Q #BoozeFreeRoads campaign. Alcohol andA road safety Why has the Department chosen to target What is the link between these deaths and alcohol as a road safety issue over the festive Q alcohol? Q season? Forensic Pathology Services takes blood samples In line with the Department’s vision of zero from people killed on the road. What we have A fatalities on Western Cape roads, the Safely Home Afound is that road deaths are strongly linked to alcohol, calendar theme for December and January is “Alcohol which impairs judgement and leads people to make and roads don’t mix”. Driving under the influence serious errors. Pedestrian deaths spike on weekends, will always remain a very strong focus for our law especially Saturday nights. Among pedestrian fatalities enforcement and road safety awareness efforts. Too where we have a blood alcohol content (BAC) test often the role of alcohol in pedestrian road deaths result after death, 61% were found to be BAC-positive. does not get the same attention. More than 66% of the BAC-positive results showed over 0,20 grams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, meaning that the individual was severely intoxicated But why target pedestrians? Is drunk driving not when he or she was killed. Bear in mind the legal limit Q a bigger issue? for driving is 0,05 g/ 100 ml of blood. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious A crime, and we will continue to utilise widespread What role can road users play? and regular alcohol blitz roadblocks and Random Q Breath Testing vehicle checkpoints to arrest offenders. The simple fact is that alcohol and roads don’t However, pedestrians now account for 49% of fatalities mix. Whether you are driving, walking, or riding a in the Western Cape. In other words, almost as many motorbike or bicycle, even small amounts of alcohol pedestrians are killed as all other categories of fatality Acan impair your ability to make decisions, operate a combined. While these fatalities are concentrated vehicle, or walk safely near traffic. If you have friends or in the City of Cape Town area, there are numerous family who still drive under the influence, speak to them hotspots throughout the province where pedestrians before they get into trouble with the law. Be a model of are regularly killed on the road. responsible behaviour for other road users to follow. 4 ON TRACK ON TRACK 5 KNOW YOUR OWN LIMIT Alcohol limit for motorists: <0,05 g/100 ml of blood* 3 units: STOP! You may be 0,02 = 1 UNIT unfit to drive. • Your age, weight and general health all count towards staying within the legal limit. • For example: as little as 2 units of wine or 2 cans of beer in an 2 units: hour could put you over the limit.