Blue light brigades are an increasing menace on Gauteng’s roads, with these high-speed motorcades now becoming an almost daily occurrence according to a number of sources.
The Automobile Association said it has received numerous complaints from members about these high-speed motorcades.
Reports of their occupants waving firearms at motorists in order to intimidate them are not uncommon and some also claim to have been forced off the road.
These blue light brigades are also increasingly seen barging their way through heavy traffic, particularly during peak traffic hours in the morning and afternoon, the association notes.
“Whatever politician is being transported in these motorcades must make it clear that they expect the highest levels of professional and ethical behaviour from their support staff,” the AA said. “Allowing these officers to act the way they do sends a message to the public that they are above the law, which they are not.”
Legally motorists are required to give way to a vehicle sounding a device or bell or displaying an identification lamp, according to Regulation 308(1) of the National Road Traffic Act. The act also states that drivers of emergency vehicles, traffic officers and other authorised drivers “appointed in terms of the SA Police Service Act who drive a vehicle in carrying out his or her duties” can disregard certain road laws within reason. However, such driver must act “with due regard to the safety of other traffic”.
“However, we contend that any driver who drives recklessly or is careless about the safety of other users on the road should be held liable for gross negligence where they pose a threat to property or another person whether they are driving a politician, delegate, VIP, or a car fitted with a blue light, just like any other road user,” the AA said.
“In fact, driving recklessly so a principal can be on time for a meeting does not constitute an emergency for the rest of the motoring public and it is shameful to think or act otherwise.”
The VIP Protection Services of the SAPS hit the headlines in 2023 after a viral video showed officers allegedly beating three civilians to a pulp next to the freeway in Johannesburg. This specific unit was attached to Deputy President Paul Mashatile and the court case is ongoing, while the officers remain suspended.
This was but one of many incidents in the past 10 years. In March 2022, a motorist was allegedly assaulted and their vehicle damaged by a blue light brigade, and in 2016 a man in Pretoria was assaulted for not pulling over fast enough.
In June 2018, two people died in a Free State accident allegedly caused by a speeding convoy, while in April 2017 a Durban woman was injured after her car was forced off the road by a speeding blue light convoy.
These are just some of the many reported cases on record. As the AA states, many acts of intimidation go unreported.
IOL