11 Jun 2014

Director of the department of roads, transport and safety (DRTS), Ms Onalenna Sechele, says it is unlawful to change the original colour of a vehicle without informing the department.

When making a presentation before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recently, Ms Sechele said the law regarding branding of vehicles stated that the vehicle should retain the colour it was originally registered with.

She was responding to a question why vehicles were stripped off advertising or publicity banners during the campaign period. “When the original colour changes without consent of the registrar, DTRS, it becomes difficult to trace the vehicles,” she said.

She added that even during the campaign period, it was advisable to notify officials that the vehicles would be branded because sometimes the original colour becomes absolutely invisible.

He noted that DTRS was concerned with road safety for both the vehicle owner and members of the public, such that any measures that might obscure visibility of the driver such as branding of the windscreen will not be allowed.

“We don’t have a problem so long as the DTRS was consulted to get authority before the vehicle was branded. We are only concerned with easier identity and access to vehicle information, including the chassis number, number plate and colour of the vehicle,” she said.

For his part, PAC chairperson, Mr Nehemiah Modubule, asked if it was necessary to consult the department if the branding was just temporary and the vehicle colour still remained visible.

Ms Sechele also expressed concern about the tendency by public transport operators to disobey set speed limits. She said the speed limit for buses was 100km/h and 80km/h for combis.

However, she said transport operators generally disobeyed the rules and drove at excessively high speed. PAC members, Messrs Phillip Makgalemele and Kentse Rammidi, had asked what the ministry was doing to curb fatal accidents and what measures were in place to avoid unnecessary road accidents caused by driving long distances.

Ms Sechele also informed the PAC that mini bus operators had been given a waiver from six to 24 months to correct an anomaly in their buses in which the number of seats were increased from 23 to 28 resulting in passengers being squeezed.

“If they don’t correct that mistake after 24 months their permits will not be renewed. Road safety is affected by the vehicle’s sitting arrangement and capacity. Safety is compromised when the sitting arrangement is changed,” she said.

She was responding to a question from Mr Prince Maele, who had wanted to know when the number of seats in minibuses will be altered to the specifications of the manufacturer. ENDS