Drivers locked up
2007-11-14 23:29
Francois du Plessis
Johannesburg - Traffic offenders were made to spend the day in police cells on Wednesday after being arrested for "minor" traffic offences.
Seventeen motorists were caught at the President Fouche Street-Malibongwe Drive intersection in Randburg, and another six at the intersection of Gordon and Hendrik Potgieter roads in Florida.
Those who were taken to Florida police station were freed late on Wednesday afternoon on bail of between R800 and R1 200, while others still were being detained at 20:00.
Johannesburg metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said the motorists had been arrested for ignoring traffic signs and direction signs, turning where they weren't supposed to and driving on the yellow-demarcated shoulders of the road.
'Like a hardened criminal'
Stephanie Bentley, who had to have trauma counselling after her "nightmare day", said she was dumbstruck when she heard at 07:00 on Wednesday morning that she was to be locked up for turning where she wasn't supposed to.
"I've had one speeding ticket in my whole life and now I'm locked up for something minor like this as if I'm a hardened criminal," she said.
She was released at 16:30 by Florida police.
A furious Jon Dare, whose fiancee Kirsty Nicholas had been locked up by Randburg police, said it was madness for motorists to be locked up on such minor charges.
"Taxi drivers hop across two traffic lanes at a time, without signalling, and nothing happens to them.
"Now, our loved ones are treated like animals for an innocent, minor mistake," he said.
The father of another woman who was locked up added: "We had to feed them through the bars, like monkeys. They weren't even given water, the whole day."
He asked to remain anonymous.
Pralin Naidoo, who was arrested for making a wrong turn at a robot, said he was pulled out of his car and thrown into a police van.
Thought they were joking
Melanie Jansen, his friend who was left stranded at the robots, said she did not have a driver's licence, but metro police continually ordered her to move the car, or it would be towed away.
"I thought they were joking with us," she said at Randburg police cells.
Naidoo's sister finally moved the car.
Police and family and friends drove some of the cars of those arrested to the police stations.
Lawyer Felix Majoni, who was at the police station to secure the release of his client, Flanagun Mapayaenda, said such arrests placed an unnecessary burden on South Africa's justice system.
"You don't have to have a law degree to know that you can't just lock someone up for goodness knows how long for a minor traffic offence.
"There are murderers and rapists out there, and this is how they're wasting the state's resources."
Zero-tolerance policy
Minnaar warned, however, that similar arrests could be expected on Johannesburg's roads, on an ongoing basis.
"We're making it clear that we're adopting a policy of zero-tolerance for traffic offenders this festival season."
He said every case would be heard on merit and the decision lay with the courts to fine offenders or jail them.
Those arrested were due to appear in the Roodepoort and Randburg magistrates courts on Thursday on charges of reckless, negligent, or inconsiderate driving.
- Beeld