Adv. Anton Alberts an FF Plus MP said:
“The Freedom Front Plus will be asking the Public Protector (PP) to undertake a comprehensive investigation into all cases where road users have been involved in incidents with blue-light cars of officials. There is a marked increase in the number of incidents where drivers of official cars cause accidents or where road users are intimidated or threatened by the drivers of blue-light cars. We want the PP to make recommendations about regulations which restricts the use of this type of vehicle,” Adv. Anton Alberts, the Parliamentary spokesperson on Transport for the Freedom Front Plus said.
Dr. Pieter Mulder, FF Plus leader and deputy minister at the time of his appointment asked that the blue lights, which are part of all minister’s vehicles, be removed. At present he is the only minister without any blue lights on his official vehicle.
“It is clear that the elite are abusing blue-light vehicles to drive recklessly and endanger the lives of other road users, as it now once again has been the case where the driver of the blue-light car of the MEC for local government and housing in Gauteng caused an accident which has lead to Thomas Ferreira being in hospital in a serious condition. Regulations which restrict the use of blue lights on official vehicles have to be drafted urgently. We are therefore asking the public to report all incidents where people have been threatened by individuals in blue-light cars or have been involved in accidents with these vehicles in order for the PP to include these incidents in her report,” adv. Alberts added.
The FF plus is also calling on the Minister of Transport, Mr. S’bu Ndebele, to ensure that officials who drive in blue-light cars set an example when they drive on the roads of the country. Road users who die as a result of accidents involving blue-light cars form part of the 14 000 individuals who die each year in motor accidents on the roads of South Africa. “The reckless and negligent driving of blue-light cars of senior officials of the government should first be addressed by the minister before he can ask ordinary road users to change their behaviour. The minister should insist that his colleagues set a better example in order to contribute to the decline in the number of casualties on our roads,” is the opinion of Adv. Alberts.
