Polokwane - The Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport has launched a R7 million automated number plate recognition system in Polokwane on Tuesday.
The system is expected to help to root out corruption and recover unpaid traffic fines, department MEC Pinky Kekana said.
"Over the last few years, traffic law enforcement has become a minefield of corruption, low productivity and incompetence. Road users have lost their respect for the law enforcement system, which has resulted in an untold number of offences being committed," said Kekana.
The new system allows officers to scan number plates of vehicles and provides immediate access to the Electronic National Traffic Information System (eNatis), which contains the license information of all drivers and vehicles in South Africa, as well as information about fines issued against drivers.
"Traffic officers can scan vehicles' licence plates while driving on patrol, using cameras in their cars that are linked to the eNatis system, which will alert the officer that there are possible outstanding contraventions by the driver," said Kekana.
She explained that the system would also allow for a settlement of outstanding warrants and fines immediately at roadblocks, because there will be mobile speed points in operation to receive payments.
With the information contained in the eNatis system, officers would be able to query outstanding offenses not only in Limpopo but in the rest of the country as well.
"The department has estimated that only about 17 percent of traffic fines in South Africa are paid, and this new system definitely will boost our capacity to recover the money owed by errant drivers," Kekana said.
She added the system would also help to identify vehicles used to commit crime.
So far, cameras have been installed in 13 vehicles in Limpopo that are connected to eNatis.
