Tag Archives: Bentley Vass

16 new Provincial Traffic Inspectors welcomed

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Picture: 16 new Provincial Traffic Inspectors welcomed/Supplied

By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

9 January 2025- The Northern Cape MEC for COGHSTA and Transport, Safety and Liaison, Bentley Vass, has today welcomed a total of 16 new Provincial Traffic Inspectors to bolster road traffic law enforcement in the province. Vass said this followed a decision by the Northern Cape Provincial Government (NCPG) to recruit a total of 50 traffic trainees in 2024.

He further said these trainees were enrolled at the Matjhabeng Traffic Training Academy in Welkom, Free State Province to be trained, graduate and pass-out for the Certificate in Road Traffic Law Enforcement (NQF Level 4).

“We congratulate the new cohort of Provincial Traffic Inspectors, who successfully completed the qualification that comprised a total of 20 unit standards and encouraged them to work hard and be exemplary professionals.

“We are happy to have an additional 16 Provincial Traffic Inspectors on our roads to help us maintain law and order for all modes of transport by providing quality traffic policing services, as stipulated by the relevant legislation,” said Vass.

He added that by the beginning of March 2025, after an open recruitment process, an additional 25 new Provincial Traffic Inspectors, will be appointed by the Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison, to bolster the human resource capacity of the Provincial Traffic Inspectorate. Vass said 32 trainees who could not pass all their unit standards in 2024, will still have to successfully participate in the remedial programme and Final Integrated Summative Assessment (FISA) for them to conclude the training programme, in the first half of this year.

“Valuable lessons were learnt from this pilot project and wished for the trainees who have returned to the training academy in Welkom, as well as those embarking on the remedial programme.

“The Provincial Traffic Inspectors will be deployed to a total of 10 traffic stations throughout the province and will commence their duties on 13 January 2025,” he said.

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NCPG intensifies Safer Festive Season Operations  

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Picture: The Northern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement, Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Transport, Safety and Liaison, Bentley Vass during operation/Supplied

By BAKANG MOKOTO

25 December 2024- The Northern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement, Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Transport, Safety and Liaison, Bentley Vass, led the safer festive season operations at a roadblock on the N12 Weighbridge in Kimberley on 24 December 2024.

Vass said similar operations including static roadblocks were executed across the other four districts of the province to intensify crime fighting efforts and ensure safer roads and less accidents and fatalities.

“A total of 1954 vehicles were stopped and searched, 3924 persons searched and a total of 114 traffic violations were issued across the operations. We encourage law enforcement officers to fight crime and criminality, to protect law abiding citizens.

“We wish the officials well as they execute various safer festive season operations throughout the Northern Cape,” he said.

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Safer Festive Season campaign in full swing in Northern Cape

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Picture: Safer Festive Season campaign underway/Supplied

By REGINALD KANYANE

18 December 2024- The Northern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement, Traditional Affairs, Transport, Safety and Liaison, Bentley Vass, led a multi-disciplinary road block with the Provincial Traffic Department and the South African Police Service (SAPS) on the R27 road linking Calvinia and Niewoudtville on Tuesday.

A total of 158 vehicles were stopped, searched and inspected for roadworthiness and several fines were issued.

Vass said as the province intensifies its law enforcement campaign for a safer festive season and safer roads, to reduce fatalities, they will continue to call on all road users to obey the rules of the road and to buckle up. He said they should avoid speeding or drinking and driving, as part of the key principles to ensure safer roads across the province.

“Similar roadblocks and safety campaigns will be rolled out across the province,” said Vass.

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DA calls on COGHSTA to help Phokwane rectify decade-old accounts

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Picture: The embattled Phokwane Local Municipality

By STAFF REPORTER

14 October 2024- The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it has requested the Northern Cape MEC of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Bentley Vass, to help resolve Phokwane Local Municipality’s decade long rates stalemate that continues to be extremely disadvantageous to farmers and the municipality alike.

The DA councillor in Phokwane Local Municipality, Annette van Wyk said since 2013, the municipality failed to rectify inflated property valuations and erroneous municipal accounts in relation to 36 000 hectares of farmland and 362 farmers in the area. Van Wyk said farmers are desperate to settle the outstanding debt, ranging from between R15 million to R90 million, but refuse to pay until the accounts are rectified.

“In November 2023, the mayor of Phokwane Local Municipality, conceded to the National Portfolio Committee on COGTA that there have been inaccuracies in the municipality’s billing system since 2013.

“He also claimed that the municipality’s revenue manager was working on resolving the issue. To date the situation remains unchanged. Phokwane is now demanding payment from farmers,” she said.

Van Wyk further said this is despite multiple attempts by the DA to also get the accounts corrected and finalized, through liaison with a string of former managers. She added that efforts have been particularly hampered by instability in the institution, which has gone through five Municipal Managers and three Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) in the last four years.

“The Union is the biggest contributor in terms of Phokwane’s property rates. Effectively, Phokwane’s debt collection remains below the accepted norm, having a ripple effect on the municipality’s ability to repay its long list of creditors.

“After 10 years of accounts dysfunction, Phokwane is also rated as one of the most dysfunctional municipalities in the country. Unresolved accounts are not only bankrupting Phokwane, but also delaying the transfer of properties onto the names of current property owners,” said van Wyk.

She said the situation must not be allowed to fester and COGHSTA must step in to help rectify the accounts. Van Wyk said they hope that communication between COGHSTA spokesperson, Gizella Opperman and Vass’s office last week, will finally be the beginning of the end of Phokwane’s accounting catastrophe.

“To place additional pressure on the municipality and COGHSTA, Opperman has sent an update to the national COGTA parliamentary committee,” she said.

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