By Kouthar Sambo

The Western Cape MEC for Mobility, Ricardo Mackenzie, officially handed over the first batch of 31 new specialised vehicles to the provincial Traffic Law enforcement branch on Tuesday.

The vehicles are expected to assist the traffic authorities to be more effective in keeping the provincial roads safer.
According to Mackenzie, he is happy that the vehicles will start working in the province.

“The new BMWs are not standard sedans, but specialised vehicles that have been converted and optimized for the work of traffic law enforcement on the main provincial and national roads. The use of advanced in-vehicle technology, which includes license plate recognition cameras, will enable Provincial Traffic officers to be even more effective in making the Western Cape safe and reducing the number of road crash fatalities,” said Mckenzie.

National Community Police Forum (CPF) Fransina Lukas said they are noting the handing over of luxury vehicles today.However, according to Lukas, media reports indicate that these vehicles were purchased over a year ago while sitting in the government garage, unused.

“It becomes questionable regarding the priorities of the government where crime fighting is concerned. We have daily killings on the Cape Flats where women and children are butchered. Committed community volunteers are in dire need of support and funding, and to find that the provincial government has been purchasing these luxury vehicles begs to ask the question – What is more important – the lives of our women and children or to have luxury vehicles?” reiterated Lukas.

Lukas went on to say that communities are calling on the government to reprioritize and put the citizens of the province first, particularly those most vulnerable.

“We hear every day of budget cuts and insufficient monies to fund essential items needed to fight crime in our communities. We have been calling out for cameras to be installed in the crime hotspots, but we are always being told there is insufficient money,” said Lukas.

“While we acknowledge the fact that traffic officials must be equipped with the necessary resources, we question why it should be BMW vehicles as opposed to any other vehicle that will perform the same function at a lower cost?” questioned Lukas

Photo: Supplied