Gauteng Provincial Legislature calls for roadblocks that fight crime not just revenue collection

The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety has raised concerns over the current approach to roadblocks conducted across the province by Metro Police Departments and the Gauteng Traffic Police.

During a meeting held yesterday, where Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni appeared before the Committee, Members questioned the widespread practice of roadblocks that appear to focus primarily on checking and printing outstanding traffic fines and forcing motorists to pay fines, particularly those with enforcement orders.

The Committee expressed concern that these operations are increasingly being used as a revenue collection exercise and a substitute for the Post Office in distributing traffic fines, especially following its closure in many areas.

Instead of targeting criminals, illegal firearms, drugs, and unroadworthy vehicles, some of these roadblocks merely hand motorists notices of unpaid fines, often creating severe traffic congestion and frustration without meaningfully contributing to the fight against crime.

The Committee is of the view that Gauteng residents want to see roadblocks that make them safer, not roadblocks that feel like mobile Post Offices. Every roadblock should be a crime-fighting tool—arresting wanted suspects and illegal foreign nationals, recovering dangerous weapons, and ensuring general compliance with the law.

The Committee reaffirmed its support for roadblocks as a vital tool in crime prevention, but insists that they must be impactful, intelligence-driven, and crime focused.

Members further called on motorists to play their part by respecting the rules of the road and settling outstanding fines timeously, thereby freeing law enforcement officers to direct their energy towards fighting core criminality.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Government.