The MEC for Coghsta and Transport, Safety and Liaison, Bentley Vass, and Sol Plaatje executive mayor Martha Bartlett welcomed the new intake of provincial traffic inspectors. Picture: Coghsta
WHILE traffic law enforcement services in the Northern Cape have been boosted with 16 more traffic officers following a new intake, only 32 percent of the trainees graduated from the training academy.
A spokesperson for the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta), Tebogo Monyo, said a total of 50 trainees attended the Matjhabeng Traffic Training Academy in Welkom in the Free State in 2024, where only 16 certificates were awarded for Road Traffic Law Enforcement (NQF Level 4).
Monyo explained that 48 trainees wrote their final assessments and 16 passed, while 32 had not passed all the requirements.
“One of the trainees was taken out of the programme after undergoing disciplinary processes and another one was found guilty of cheating in one of the examinations and was disciplined,” said Monyo.
He added that the 32 trainees who did not pass all their unit standards in 2024 would have an opportunity to participate in the remedial programme and Final Integrated Summative Assessment (FISA).
“This will allow them to conclude the training programme in the first half of this year.”
He stated that the newly appointed provincial traffic inspectors would be deployed to 10 traffic stations throughout the Northern Cape. “They will commence their duties on Monday, January 13.”
The MEC for Coghsta and Transport, Safety and Liaison, Bentley Vass, congratulated the new cohort of provincial traffic inspectors and encouraged them to work hard and be exemplary professionals.
“The additional provincial traffic inspectors will help us maintain law and order for all modes of transport by providing quality traffic policing services, as stipulated by the relevant legislation,” said Vass.
He announced that an open recruitment process would be embarked upon in March to recruit an additional 25 new provincial traffic inspectors who will be appointed by the Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison to bolster the human resource capacity of the Provincial Traffic Inspectorate.
“Valuable lessons were learnt from this pilot project and we wish the trainees who have returned to the Training Academy in Welkom well as they embark on the remedial programme,” Vass added.