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On Thursday 19 January, Drakenstein Municipality became the first municipality in the Western Cape to officially launch The Pointsmen Project.
This was done in collaboration with OUTsurance and Traffic FreeFlow Winelands, an independent company that owns and manages the Pointsmen Project.
According to the Municipality, this new project will not only help make road users’ daily commute in the area as stress-free as possible, but it will also create much-needed job opportunities for young men and women.
“The Pointsmen Project has a proven track record in helping to alleviate traffic congestion, especially during peak hours and when Eskom loadshedding affects traffic lights; contributing towards road safety (e.g. helping learners to safely cross busy intersections); as well as creating job opportunities for underprivileged communities,” said Gerald Esau Executive Director: Community Services.
There are two types of point service officers. Static point service officers who are assigned to specific high-traffic intersections, while mobile point service officers are dispatched to traffic hotspots at a moment’s notice.
The Pointsmen Project works as follows: OUTsurance recruits and selects interested applicants from a centralised database. Individuals with a minimum of a senior certificate and a passion for traffic regulation are considered. This year, 15 point service officers (men and women) will be appointed in Drakenstein and employed on a five-year contract.
“Upon appointment, Drakenstein Municipality’s Traffic Services upskill the young men and women with a comprehensive training course. The successful incumbents are equipped with unique OUTsurance uniforms, cell phones with data as well as a scooter to get from point A to B,” explains Esau.
“Today, it’s a dream come true for these graduates. They are embarking on a new path in their professional careers which includes opportunities to become traffic wardens or to aspire to be traffic officers in the Western Cape,” said Alderman Conrad Poole, Executive Mayor of Drakenstein.
Following Thursday’s launch at the corner of Berg River Boulevard and Breda Street in Paarl (a key intersection where point service officers regularly do duty), Drakenstein’s new point service officers will receive a three-week job shadowing opportunity under the guidance of experienced traffic officers from Municipality. Upon completion, the they will be deployed at key intersections across Drakenstein.
