The government and its law enforcement
agencies can not effectively solve or address the
problem of crime, including road traffic criminal
acts, without the active participation of the road
users and the general public. To facilitate the
implementation of an effective road safety strategy,
we need the involvement of all the relevant stakeholders
– motorists, taxi/bus owners and drivers,
the pedestrians, passengers, etc. Road Safety is
everybody’s responsibility. Countries who
have a successful road safety record have a saying
that road safety is not what you do to people but
what you do with people. To garner this joint responsibility
an easy to implement tool is required. The use of
telephony will enable all stakeholders to effectively
take responsibility about road safety issues.
Hence the Mpimpa Hotline. It is a vehicle to effectively
drive active stakeholder participation. The anonymity
of the caller is guaranteed. Only designated individuals
have access to the recorded information. These individuals
must sign a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport has run
a campaign with the theme "Road Safety is everybody’s
responsibility 24/7/365" (24 hours, 7 days
a week, and 365 days a year – around the clock).
The objective was to make all road users aware that,
at the end of the day the responsibility to reduce
the rate of road collisions should not be borne
by the Government alone. In fact what the authorities
are trying to do with road safety campaigns is to
protect the road users from endangering their own
lives. The State spends enormous resources –
traffic officers, education campaigns, etc –
to protect us from hurting and maiming ourselves.
In the United Kingdom a similar approach to highlighting
where the responsibility lies is known as the "Think"
campaign. Road users must stop and reflect on why
they should refrain from breaking road safety rules.
During the 2002 Festive season the general consensus
by commentators about the unacceptably high rates
of fatalities was that enforcement is a challenge
that needs to be overcome to help improve driver
behaviour. The Government alone can never possess
enough resources to fully address the enforcement
challenge. The general mindset of a road user is
to observe the rules when s/he see, expects to see
or be seen by a traffic officer.
The Mpimpa Hotline aims to create millions of "volunteer"
traffic officers in the form of all road users –
the pedestrians, passengers and motorists –
to act together in unison and overcome the challenges
posted by unbecoming road usage behaviour. Suddenly
every bad driver will be conscious of the fact that
the changes of being seen have multiplied immensely,
because it is every road user’s responsibility
(24/7/365) to help stop the carnage on our roads.
Every road user has the means to pull bad drivers
off the road.
With Mpimpa Hotline, the ordinary road user is now
empowered to do something – in line with the
Government’s volunteerism request –
and help reduce the rate of collisions on our roads.
Those who misbehave must know that someone is watching
and s/he will take action, because all the law abiding
road users are sick and tired of bad drivers.
Why the "Mpimpa" name?
During the struggle days the State (the minority
government) used to plant informers among the
masses. The sole aims of these "impimpis"
(informers) was to gather information about political
activities of the oppressed, and feed back to
the Government of the day.
In the new South Africa everyone is confronted
with a new form of oppression (criminals and general
lawlessness) by a new form of an oppressive minority
government (the criminals who kills our people
in their homes, on the roads and everywhere).
The government of the day cannot be omnipresent.
It needs the ears and eyes of the oppressed masses
to overcome road related serious offenses.
The modern day, new South Africa’s "impimpis"
are a critical war arsenal to fight the new form
of oppression by a minority government by criminals.
A minority government by criminals who make life
hell for law-abiding citizens on our roads.
A concerned road user calls the Mpimpa Hotline
and reports an incident – any serious road
offense. Hit and run, overloading, somebody driving
without a valid driver’s license, drive
a car without an RWC (roadworthy certificate),
taxi wars and the perpetrators, etc. The general
public has a facility conducive to creating an
environment unfriendly to criminals and their
dastardly deeds.
The call is captured and recorded.
1.The HotlineThe current Hotline – 086 221
1010 . The line is paid for in order to discourage
crank calls. Research results reveal that over
50% of all calls to the toll free numbers and
the emergency police number 10111 are from kids
and other adults with objectives other than what
the toll free number was set up to achieve. The
Hotline will be live for 24 hours per day. The
Road Safety Directorate from 07h00 to 16h00 will
man the line during normal working days. It will
be diverted to the call center during any other
time.
Every call will be recorded for reference
purposes.
2.Database Monitoring and Management· Data
capture and computer programming. The incoming
calls will be captured on the computer using an
appropriate program. The program will capture
the details – telephone number, postal address,
car registration number, generate a reference
number, time the call was received, the nature
of the offense, place of the offense, etc.
· Data classification. The nature and
seriousness of the offense should be established
upfront to automatically determine the nature
of the corrective action required. For example,
a hit and run incident is a police matter needing
drastic action whereas failing to stop at a stop
sign is a less serious (misdemeanor) matter which
might only require a letter from the Department
to make the offender aware the he/she is being
watched by fellow road users. The offenses will
be classified in many ways using letters of the
alphabet and numerals.
· Cross-referencing. This facility will
enable the system to monitor the frequency a certain
driver and registered car commits serious offenses
and misdemeanors. Appropriate action should be
established in consultation with the appropriate
enforcement agencies.
3.Media CampaignTo build top of mind awareness,
a comprehensive campaign to re-launch Mpimpa will
break on 9 April to run until 9 may 2003. The
main media activities have been planned as follows:
• Ukhozi FM with over 6.0
million listeners
• East Coast Radio with
around 1.2 million
• Community Radio stations
• P4 Radio with around
445 000 listeners
• 10 mobile billboards
strategically placed.
The abovementioned radio stations have been requested
to actively support the campaign (value adding)
by stimulating debate among their listeners/audiences
to sincerely embrace the aims and objectives of
reporting wrong doers on our roads.
The solution to a reduced road carnage lies with
all road users. Not the Government alone.
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