By Nangamso Mabindla
8 October 2004

The provincial department for safety, liaison and transport paid tribute to all the traffic officers in the Eastern Cape, awarding them for their excellent service over the past year at a function in East London.

At the event, held at the Regent Hotel on Friday, October 8, the 312 traffic officers were urged to continue the good work by various speakers, including the premier, Nosimo Balindlela, the MEC for safety, liaison and transport Thobile Mhlahlo, and Debis CEO Dan Moletsi.

Looking ahead to the festive season, Mhlahlo said he wanted the Eastern Cape to have the lowest number of road deaths in the country. "We want you to be very effective when enforcing law during this festive season because we're concerned about the rate of deaths during the holidays," he said.

The death toll not only affected the families involved but also impacted on the economy and tourism. "If we fail to ensure safety for our road users then we will have fewer tourists visiting our beautiful province. This decrease in tourists will also have a negative impact on our economy," Mhlahlo added.

By acknowledging the officers' excellent service, the government aimed to boost morale - especially when officers were asked to undertake special operations. "We've found that some of them do not want to work during these operations," he said.

"For these special campaigns to be a success, there needed to be a strong partnership between the provincial and local authorities and business."

Automobile manufacturer, DaimlerChrysler (DCSA) was working closely with the province in supporting traffic law enforcement in the province. Moletsi, CEO of Debis - a division of DCSA - said the function recognising the work of the traffic officers would be held annually.

"We'll first look at its success over three years, and take it from there. We want to show that we're committed to encouraging law enforcers in their job," said Moletsi.

Daimler also sponsored three ambulances for use in the province.