NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 24
DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: THURSDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2009
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2009
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 7 â 2009)
Mr H B Groenewald (DA â NW) asked the Minister of Transport:
(1) (a) How many weighbridges are there in each province and (b) what is
the income generated from weighbridges in each province;
(2) whether all the weighbridges in each of the provinces are functional;
if not, (a) which weighbridges are not functional and (b) what is the
reason for these weighbridges not being functional in each of the
cases;
(3) whether the functioning of weighbridges are effective; if not, why
not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(4) how many traffic officers are involved with the functioning of the
different weighbridges in each of the provinces?
CW36E
REPLY:
The Minister of Transport:
In respect of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL), the
reply is as follows:-
1) (a) SANRAL currently has control over the following number of
weighbridges in the Provinces:-
North West - 1
Gauteng - 3
Mpumalanga - 18
Limpopo - 2 (with three weighbridges currently under
construction)
KwaZulu-Natal- 7
Free State - 1
(b) SANRAL does not collect any income from weighbridges and all
income is accrued to the relevant Provinces.
(2) All the weighbridges under SANRALâs control are operational.
a) and (b) Fall away.
(3) Weighbridges have had an impact on the relevant national roads on
which they are employed in curbing overloading, resulting in less
damage to road pavements.
(4) SANRAL is currently funding 144 traffic officers to operate the
relevant weighbridges.
In respect of the Provinces, the reply is as follows:-
1) (a)
|PROVINCE |No of |Functiona|Non-Functional |Remarks |
| |Weighbridges|l | | |
|Western |9 |9 |- |- |
|Cape | | | | |
|KwaZulu- |15 |15 |- |- |
|Natal | | | | |
|Mpumalanga |9 |9 |- |- |
| |weighbridges| | | |
| |and | | | |
| |11 laybyes | | | |
|Eastern |3 |3 |- |Umtata is |
|Cape | | | |currently used |
| | | | |for screening of |
| | | | |heavy vehicles |
| | | | |only and not for |
| | | | |enforcement |
|Free State |3 |2 |Bothaville |Upgrade and |
| | | | |maintenance |
| | | | |required |
| | | | |Work in progress |
|Limpopo |13 |5 |Vivo |Decommissioned |
| | | |Baltimore |weighing stations|
| | | |Northam |- the equipment |
| | | | |is outdated |
| | | |Mampakuil | |
| | | | |Upgrade and |
| | | |Musina |maintenance |
| | | |Polokwane |required |
| | | | | |
| | | | |New - to be |
| | | | |commissioned this|
| | | | |financial year |
|Northern |6 |- |Colesberg |Upgrade and |
|Cape | | |Kimberley |maintenance |
| | | |Springbok |required |
| | | |Upington | |
|Gauteng |6 provincial|2 |Bapsfontein |Upgrade and |
| | | |Donkerhoek |maintenance |
| | | |Meyerton |required |
| | | |Pinehaven |Work in progress |
| |13 municipal| | | |
| | | | |Currently used |
| | | | |for screening of |
| | | | |heavy vehicles |
| | | | |only and not for |
| | | | |law enforcement |
|North West |11 |4 |Ventersdorp |Power supply |
| | | |Wolmaransstad |problem |
| | | | |Upgrade and |
| | | |Lichtenburg |maintenance |
| | | |Bloemhof |required |
| | | |Cristiana | |
| | | |Vryburg |Decommissioned |
| | | |Stella (N18) |weighing stations|
| | | | |- the equipment |
| | | | |is outdated |
TABLE 1: SOUTH AFRICAN WEIGHBRIDGE STATUS QUO ASSESMENT: SEPTEMBER
2009
(b) The database for income generated from fines for any
contraventions of the National Road Traffic Act that are detected at
weighbridges are not kept at weighbridges. This is because the
offenders are not required to pay their fines there. In many cases
they go to the courts or make representations to get it reduced or
cancelled and pay the fines elsewhere. A detailed monitoring system
will become effective after the full-scale implementation of the
Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) on a
national basis.
(2) (a) and (b) Refer to Table 1 above.
The functioning and effectiveness of law enforcement operations at
weighbridges are mainly determined by:-
â the allocation of adequate or dedicated resources for the
operations;
â the availability of the infrastructure for use. This is
determined by the ability or commitment to maintain the
infrastructure to a minimum level for operational purposes; and
â ensuring that the planning and alignment of the operations are
in line with traffic movements, trends and flows.
Experience/history has shown that wherever the above criteria are met,
the functioning of the weighbridge is effective.
The major constraint to schedule or allocate traffic officers at
weighbridges outside their normal working hours is budget restrictions
for overtime and the current provisions in the labour law is a
restriction (working overtime is not mandatory for an employee). This
is planned to be addressed through the process of establishing Law
Enforcement as âessential servicesâ.
(4) The provincial traffic officers are involved with all aspects of law
enforcement, which may include being stationed at a weighbridge in
their respective province.
The level of staffing at a weighbridge is determined by the extent of
a particular planned law enforcement operation, which may vary from
time to time.
The exact details of how many traffic officers are involved with the
functioning of the different weighbridges in each of the provinces is
unknown.