Gauteng traffic operations to continue throughout festive season, MEC warns motorists

Provincial traffic enforcement to continue through the holiday period

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport says traffic law-enforcement operations will continue throughout the forthcoming festive season. The warning came from Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela after a week-long, inter-provincial road safety and traffic operation that targeted areas where non-compliance was repeatedly observed.

What the week-long operation found

Authorities described the campaign as a concerted effort to improve road safety and to remove unroadworthy and illegally operated vehicles from commuter routes. During the operation officials logged more than 1 500 traffic infringements, issued discontinuation notices and made arrests as part of the push to curb unsafe and unlawful activity on the roads.

Enforcement and administrative outcomes recorded during the operation included:

• 712 notices issued in the City of Johannesburg
• 697 notices issued in the City of Tshwane
• 123 notices issued in the City of Ekurhuleni
• 30 notices issued on the North‑West corridor
• 34 discontinuation notices issued to unroadworthy vehicles
• 61 taxis found operating without valid licence discs
• 59 taxi drivers operating without valid driving licences
• 27 minibuses impounded
• Two individuals arrested one for driving under the influence of alcohol and another for contravening the Immigration Act

Who took part in the operation

The operation involved a number of agencies working together. Participating bodies included the South African Police Service, Home Affairs, Merafong Traffic, Rand West Traffic, North‑West Traffic Police, the Gauteng Transport Inspectorate and the National Traffic Police.

How enforcement was carried out

Officers used a mix of handwritten infringement notices and digital technology. The campaign deployed advanced e‑Force devices alongside paper notices to enforce compliance under the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) framework.

The department noted that the e‑Force system allows traffic officers to instantly verify driver licences, vehicle registration status and active warrants. Officials also reported that the e‑Force devices accounted for more than half of all logged violations during the week.

Zero tolerance ahead of the festive season

MEC Diale-Tlabela made clear that the operations would not be a one-off. In a direct statement she said the enforcement activity will continue through the holidays;

“We wish to state these operations will remain ongoing for the entire festive period,”

She added that the Gauteng Traffic Inspectorate had been instructed to scale up joint operations with municipal metro police departments and the South African Police Service to enforce traffic laws, maximise public safety, and prevent criminal activity.

In her remarks the MEC emphasised:

“There will be zero tolerance for unroadworthy vehicles, reckless behaviour, or criminality on Gauteng’s roads ahead and during the holiday season,”

Public transport enforcement a central focus

A key strand of the campaign focused on public transport compliance. Officials said the week’s work highlighted administrative and safety violations on commuter routes and targeted non‑compliant minibus taxi operators and unroadworthy vehicles. As reported, enforcement actions aimed to prevent unsafe vehicles from operating until mechanical and safety defects were remedied.

Why this matters

Broadly, traffic enforcement and compliance checks are intended to reduce immediate safety risks on roads by removing vehicles that are unsafe to operate and deterring unlawful behaviour. Joint operations that pair traffic inspectorates with policing and administrative agencies also aim to address the broader problem of criminality linked to non‑compliant transport services.

While the department’s statement sets out the scope and outcomes of the recent operation, the planned continuation of these activities over the festive season signals a sustained effort to maintain enforcement presence during a period when traffic volumes and road‑use patterns typically change.

The Gauteng provincial government says it will continue scaled-up traffic enforcement over the festive season following a week-long operation that logged more than 1 500 infringements, issued dozens of discontinuation notices and led to arrests and impoundments. Authorities are combining technology, administrative processes and multi-agency operations under the AARTO framework to promote compliance and public safety on Gauteng’s roads.