Dedicated Traffic Courts

On 10 January 2002 the Head of the Department, Dr K B Mbanjwa, met with senior personnel from the Road Traffic Inspectorate, the South African Police Services, the South African National Defence Force and the Director of Public Prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal to discuss violence on our roads and security on provincial and national routes.

The question of dedicated traffic courts has been raised on a number of occasions and although such courts do exist in some metropolitan areas, they deal mainly with by laws and are still subject to numerous staff changes which does not lead to the development of professional expertise in traffic related matters. This in turn leads to an indifferent disposal of traffic cases with postponements, remands and plea bargains on overcrowded court rolls. Further, the public is generally disinclined to honour traffic prosecutions and only pay admissions of guilt after reminders or once Warrants of Arrest have been issued by the courts. This process places a huge administrative burden on the court staff and the various traffic authorities. The move towards dedicated traffic courts with specialised staff from the prosecutor’s office will streamline the adjudication of traffic offences. To this end the Department has undertaken to consider funding the establishment of selected traffic courts and to sponsor the training of additional personnel to manage such courts. The success of specialised traffic courts is already evident in the operation of various roadside courts on major routes in KwaZulu-Natal during peak holiday periods.

These courts have been established at the roadside at the following locations:

A number of serious offenders have been brought directly to the court within minutes of apprehension at the roadside, where their cases are heard by a Magistrate and are presented by a Prosecutor. This Easter weekend all four mobile courts operated at critical periods and a wide range of cases were heard and disposed of. The highest speed recorded was 215 kmph on the N2 near Park Rynie where the driver of a BMW 525 motor car was fined R20 000 for speed and R3 000 for failing to stop for a traffic officer in an attempt to evade apprehension.

The Department will continue to liaise with the Department of Justice and the Provincial Director of Public Prosecutions on the expansion of roadside courts to other areas as well as the establishment of more specialised traffic courts throughout KwaZulu-Natal. 

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