MEC in Speeding cavalcade pile-up

[Syndyre]

Welcome to an Orwellian state.

 

[Bageloo]

Well from my understanding of the Road Traffic laws, the only people who can travel in convoy are the police and the military. If anybody else wants to they have to get proper WRITTEN authorisation from the police, or there has to be marked police vehicles in the convoy.
Therefore, I will move out of the way of these convoys, but only once I feel it is safe for me to do so (usually about 3 or 4 minutes AFTER they have come screaming up behind me). If i could get away with it, I'd hold them up, but thats against the law in this country...

I think most VIP convoys do so under the escort of the VIP Protection Unit which is a unit whithin the SAPS. Why would they need written authorisation from the police?

 

[Fudzy]

Anyone got a YouTube link?

 

[icyrus]

Later yesterday afternoon, Maistry said: “convoys driven by police and traffic officials are within their rights to drive fast with blue lights flashing if they deem the situation to require this. We are therefore not collaborating with The Witness on their agenda on this issue. The Witness has their own agenda regarding this matter — continue with it.”

So in what situation is this required?

The fact that the government can actually let their spokesman say these sort of things without embarrassment shows how far we have already fallen.

 

[Alan]

Just reading in the local paper that KZN Health MEC Peggy Nkonyeni's driver was arrested doing 172km on the N2 while taking Peggy (or should it be Piggy ) to a "function" .

She had to wait at the police station for a new driver after the one caught speeding was taken into custody

A traffic official was quoted as saying "When we clocked the driver, we did not hesitate to extend the law to him. Why should he be above the law? There was no emergency situation as far as we could see and no one can get away with speeding on our stretch of the road. Only traffic officers and police officers are allowed to use the blue light - not ordinary drivers.”

Well done

EDIT: The report of this incident only came out four months after the arrest.

 

[Freshy-ZN]

About time to.

 

[Angelo]

He must be brought to book, the law is the law. What type of lunatic chases a VIP motorcade?

 

[hj2k_x]

About time indeed.

 

[arf9999]

He must be brought to book, the law is the law. What type of lunatic chases a VIP motorcade?

Abuse of power is also against the law.

 

[xtermin8or]

convoys driven by police and traffic officials are within their rights to drive fast with blue lights flashing if they deem the situation to require this.

This is the critical issue, would anyone here chase an ambulance or speeding police car rushing to a scene of an accident - if you do you are breaking the law - thats it

 

[chiskop]

Late for funeral != ambulance rushing to the scene of an accident.

 

[arf9999]

convoys driven by police and traffic officials are within their rights to drive fast with blue lights flashing if they deem the situation to require this.

You are incorrect, they can do this only if the situation warrants it - i.e. there is a necessity due to a true emergency. There are still checks and balances, no policeman can take the law into his/her own hands without just cause. Being late for a function is not an emergency, and putting other road users at risk due to high speed is an abuse of power. Whistleblowers often have to break the law to bring these abuses of power to the fore, so you are clouding the real issue.

This is the critical issue, would anyone here chase an ambulance or speeding police car rushing to a scene of an accident - if you do you are breaking the law - thats it

A moot point. The whistleblower didn't follow an ambulance or a police car responding an accident. You have ducked the issue. By your argument, the people that were detained for opposing the apartheid regime were legitimately arrested - after all, they were breaking the law.

 

[xtermin8or]

A moot point. The whistleblower didn't follow an ambulance or a police car responding an accident. You have ducked the issue. By your argument, the people that were detained for opposing the apartheid regime were legitimately arrested - after all, they were breaking the law.

Off course they were legitimately arrested, they were breaking the law of the current system, if they had not been arrested - there would be no point to their protest - this guy willfully broke the law - action can and should be taken against the driver - but he broke the law

 

[icyrus]

Off course they were legitimately arrested, they were breaking the law of the current system, if they had not been arrested - there would be no point to their protest - this guy willfully broke the law - action can and should be taken against the driver - but he broke the law

What is the bigger problem? The guy who caught the convoy or the convey and their "we are above the law" attitude?

 

[xtermin8or]

Okay, you see blue lights, red lights, yellow lights flashing behind you, what do you do ? you move out of the way - that's what you do - the man driving behind the convoy had no idea at the time if there was or was not a real emergency - if we allow people to ignore police lights and sirens - then what happens to response times of police to real emergencies

 

[Datura]

Okay, you see blue lights, red lights, yellow lights flashing behind you, what do you do ? you move out of the way - that's what you do - the man driving behind the convoy had no idea at the time if there was or was not a real emergency - if we allow people to ignore police lights and sirens - then what happens to response times of police to real emergencies

Valid point. I move out the way. I see people without lights and sirens driving faster than these convoys every day at least the lights and sirens act as a warning.

 

[Sneeky]

and when the 'flashing light people' point automatic weapons at you, what then?

 

[chiskop]

Okay, you see blue lights, red lights, yellow lights flashing behind you, what do you do ? you move out of the way - that's what you do - the man driving behind the convoy had no idea at the time if there was or was not a real emergency - if we allow people to ignore police lights and sirens - then what happens to response times of police to real emergencies

Is there any indication that this guy didn't move over?

However, when he was behind the convoy and could see what kind of "emergency" it was, he took the video.

 

[xtermin8or]

Is there any indication that this guy didn't move over?

However, when he was behind the convoy and could see what kind of "emergency" it was, he took the video.

Yes, the article says

a motorist claiming that he was forced out of the fast lane by the premier’s convoy and was so angered by this that he gave chase, capturing evidence of the incident on his cellphone camera

indicating that he had no intention of moving out of the way, he then gave chase - the Premier is a public figure - and his bodyguards could easily have believed there was a threat on the Premier's life - not too bright huh - wonder what would have happened if it was the President or DP's car

 

[icyrus]

Okay, you see blue lights, red lights, yellow lights flashing behind you, what do you do ? you move out of the way - that's what you do - the man driving behind the convoy had no idea at the time if there was or was not a real emergency - if we allow people to ignore police lights and sirens - then what happens to response times of police to real emergencies

You continue to dodge the issue and you seem more than happy to blame the whistleblower while making no mention of the convoy.

Have some backbone, tell us which you think is more of a problem: that some irate person chased the convey and provided us all with evidence of their misconduct or the fact that the convoy and subsequently the government spokesperson think and act as if they are above the law?