No Speed Limits for Government

M

Milano

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The Witness newspaper on Thursday said it would not hand over the details of a motorist who used his cell phone to provide the newspaper with video footage of KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sbu Ndebele's convoy doing 160 kilometres an hour.

Witness deputy editor Yves Vanderhaeghen said: "We have spoken to our lawyers. Our lawyers have advised them that we cannot do this. And we said so before."

He said the MEC "would have to find other ways" to find the motorist.

Vanderhaeghen was speaking after KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Bheki Cele told the KwaZulu-Natal legislature that the motorist would be arrested for breaking the law.

The SABC quoted him as saying vehicles transporting VIPs were allowed to use blue lights and were driven by police officers.

The MEC could not be reached on Thursday afternoon as he was addressing the legislature on safety and security - his other portfolio.

Transport spokesperson Nonkululeko Mbatha could not say whether the speed limit applied to VIP convoys.

Earlier in the week the SA National Editors' Forum condemned a demand by the department that The Witness newspaper in Pietermaritzburg supply the motorist's name.

The motorist said he had been forced out of the fast lane by the premier's convoy and had been so angered that he had given chase, capturing evidence of the alleged misconduct on his cellphone's camera.

The pictures showed the convoy's cars straddling traffic lanes and speeding - indication of the speed was shown in a photograph taken of his own car's speedometer as the motorist pursued the convoy - and were published on April 14.

The Witness has now received a letter from the provincial transport department's attorneys demanding to know the identity of the motorist "who provided video footage of Premier Ndebele's convoy".

The Witness has refused to hand over the motorist's details to the department on the grounds that to do so would contravene a journalist's code of ethics, which guarantees the protection of a newspaper's sources when information has been supplied in confidence.

Ministerial convoys have raised the ire of numerous motorists.

Last week the Daily News reported that the convoy of ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma had muscled motorists off the N3 and that one of his security guards allegedly pointed a rifle at one motorist who would not give way to them.

Public Works MEC Lydia Johnson escaped injury when her convoy was involved in a vehicle pile-up near the Pavilion Shopping Centre in February while rushing to Pietermaritzburg to attend Ndebele's State of the Province Address. - Sapa

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20070426170738274C394067
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Glad The Witness told them to shove it. Seems we have speed limits for citizens and none for government. Pointing rifles at motorists? Causing pile-ups? :D This country rocks :D
 
LOL only in KZN. Let them try pointing a rifle at somebody here in GP and then watch the fun :D
 
Police officers can speed, but only if they have an emergency situation. Being late for a meeting is not an emergency. If he is involved in an accident, then he is at the mercy of the courts.
As for pointing a rifle - that's a very serious offence.
 
What can I say ........... we need a local Guy Fawkes ; with better planning skills.

Connect the fuse to Ivy's birthday cake.

It would make a brilliant entry to the Darwin Awards.
 
Is it illegal here to wish the death of Govermunt officials?

Shame that some hideous disease wont come and wipe all the cretins out before they really **** up the country good and solid.

Just who exactly do they think they are? Threatening motorists and generally riding rough shode over all and sundry who get in their way..

Recently on the way to BFN I witnessed an X5 with a blue light hair-assing down the other side of the road. Pray tell what justifies this kind of behavior 100kms south of Kroonstad? Certainly there was no 'threat' of danger and it wasn't a convoy.

Oh yes, it was most likely some jumped up little oik who thinks that because they are part of the idiots in charge they can do bloody well what they like.

**** them and their mothers.
 
They say their can speed for emergencies and claim that being late for a meeting is an emergency :o :rolleyes:

What about ordinary citizens. Can we not speed in an emergency?
 
being late for a meeting IS NOT an emergency - it's poor time management.

Bleeding to death from a gunshot wound would be an emergency...
 
KOEDOES to said man using cell phone while driving and chasing da convoy.
Damn .. that's going to be a beeeg fine, reckless driving and endangerment if hiz name slips out.

But ... if a motorcade tries to get me to move out of the way again, they're going to find it extremely difficult cos I have to be 100% safe while making way otherwise i'm guilty of reckless driving. It may just have to slow down to 20km/h to do the lane navigation properly.

The thing is .. they flash blue lights at you, so natrually you move out of the way.

At least we know who the real enemy is.
 
stoke said:
KOEDOES to said man using cell phone while driving and chasing da convoy.
Damn .. that's going to be a beeeg fine, reckless driving and endangerment if hiz name slips out.
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Even if his name slips out, the burden of proof is on the Traffic dept. Besides... did he film it? was it the passenger? how certain are the traffic officers? If the video footage was taken by a PDA phone, does that change the case?

The states case is already full of holes.. :D
 
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