The Road traffic authorities (responding to 2 serious Taxi accidents in which 16 people died - 9 of them children) have anounced a campaign to stop & inspect 1 million motorists every month. Drivers licences, vehicle roadworthiness, & outstanding fines will be targeted. The intention is good, even if reactive, but this will proove totally innefective with the majority of road users latent criminals with no moral integrity. The corrupt traffic officials are in for an early bonus this year. We all know that!
A very interesting counter campaign is "Pigspotter" on Twitter, who tips off motorists about traffic roadblocks.
"Two piggies hiding behind the trees with a camera trapping drivers heading north just after Investment Cars," PigSpotter, also known as Cliff, tweeted from his BlackBerry just before 2pm --
three hours after his announcement.
"Three piggies dust bathing in the shade by epsom downs.
Trapping," he tweeted just minutes earlier. "Pork chops sitting under the shade with a speed camera on Jan Smuts Corner Adith Road
coming from JHB CBD," was another tweet, and: "Pigs trapping on Oxford before M1 south onramp."
In his tweets, Cliff refers to traffic police as "pigs", "porkers" or "bacon rashers".
Johannesburg Metro Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar warned that he could soon face the full might of the law.
"What he has done, is defeating the ends of justice," said Minnaar.
"We have information that we are following up. That is all we are saying. He will face the consequences of his actions."
PigSpotter's announced he would stop after an interview with Talk Radio 702 on Wednesday morning. He wrote on Twitter: "For those who didn't hear, I was just on 702 [Talk Radio]. Made an agreement to stop roadblock reporting in exchange for a weekly spot to expose... police corruption in the roadblocks and victimisation. Let's LEAD SA and stop the corruption."
In the radio interview, he said he was not trying to insult metro police or be derogatory.
"I have the greatest respect for them; for all the good ones out there. For the guys who are collecting bribes, I have absolute zero respect for them."
Tweeters who follow PigSpotter responded shortly after his announcement.
LewEvil tweeted: "Hahaha referring to cops as pigs on the radio Gotta love @PigSpotter."
Another, Abdullah_L said: "@pigspotter heard u on radio. Good stuff u serving ur community and TammyCromhout said: "What is the oldest profession? Traffic Cop.... It says in Genesis 3:4 "... and I saw an evil spirit standing behind a bush..."
Minnaar said that in telling the public where police roadblocks were, PigSpotter was giving way to drunken drivers on the road.
"He is informing drunken drivers about roadblocks, and drunken drivers can kill innocent people," he said.
"He could also warn criminals to avoid police, leading to their escape.
Twitter users in other provinces have now emerged modelling themselves on PigSpotter.
PigSpotterKZN and PigSpotterCPT, supply warnings about traffic action in Durban and Cape Town.
A PigSpotter group was also started on the social networking site facebook on Wednesday.
The group describe sits goal as "to network with each other via facebook and Twitter so that traffic pigs with their speed cameras, radar guns and roadblocks, can be identified and neutralised".
"Just post any viewing of pigs directly on this group page and all who have joined will be notified."
Love it ......!!!!
Comments :
Post a Comment