The DA in Mpumalanga has called on the provincial government to totally ban the unnecessary, costly and dangerous blue light brigade which is used by drivers transporting politicians and VIPs.
Recently, the DA tabled a motion in the Mpumalanga Legislature calling for the house to ban the blue light brigades. This motion was as a result of the recent incident where 56-year-old Warrant Officer, Thomas Shongwe, a bodyguard of Deputy President David Mabuza, died on 20 November 2022 after Mabuza’s convoy was involved in an accident in Middelburg.
Unfortunately, the ANC fat cats defeated the DA’s motion – proving once more that they have no qualms to squander taxpayers’ money and don’t care about lives of other motorists on the roads.
In April this year, the Automobile Association of South Africa came out condemning blue light brigades involved in Presidential Protection Services which is viewed as a threat to other motorists.
Not only are blue light brigades costly to South African taxpayers, but they continue to pose a road safety threat to other motorists, including the occupants of the VIP convoys themselves.
This recent incident where Mabuza’s bodyguard died, is not the first time ANC blue light brigades caused fatal accidents on Mpumalanga roads:
* In 2017, another of Mabuza’s blue light convoy struck and killed a pedestrian who was crossing the N4 near Croc Valley Estates.
* In December 2016, 63-year-old Herman van Schalkwyk died in Amsterdam near Piet Retief after a head-on collision with a blue light convoy of David Mahlobo, who was a Minister of State Security then.
* Tholakele Masimula passed away on the 23 September 2016 in the Piet Retief area in Mpumalanga after a head on collision with a Blue Light Brigade convoy allegedly transporting a former Mayor of Mkhondo Local Municipality.
Such above instances are extremely devastating because of the loss of life as reckless blue light cavalcades supersede all of our traffic laws.
Given the above and the fact that these convoys bully and harass law abiding motorists on our roads, the DA challenges the Mpumalanga Provincial Government to adopt the approach of the Western Cape and forbid VIPs from using blue lights or sirens when traveling, unless there is “an imminent threat to safety or life”.