Manganese truck driver arrested because of state of the truck. (Photo: Supplied) 
A young Eastern Cape traffic officer refused an alleged bribe of R1,500 by a manganese truck driver after she pulled the vehicle off the road for being in a dangerous condition.
Eastern Cape Department of Transport spokesperson, Unathi Binqose, said the woman who arrested the driver was a young traffic officer recruited only in December last year.
He said the truck, which was registered in the Northern Cape, was in a dangerous condition. Binqose confirmed that the truck was a manganese carrier.
“It was deemed a moving hazard with various defects ranging from a loose steering rack, loose wiring in the cabin and tyres that were [in poor] condition,” he said.
He said the driver had offered the officer a R1,500 bribe, which she refused. She then proceeded to arrest the driver.
Eastern Cape Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha applauded the officer for her “act of bravery and absolute patriotism”, putting public safety over personal gain.
He said her actions would save lives.
History of crashes
“The N10 road has seen a lot of crashes involving trucks with defects like this one, not only claiming lives, but also resulting in lengthy road closures,” Binqose said.
In February 2024, a traffic officer, Sisanda Hadi, was knocked over and killed when she tried to pull over a manganese truck at the Kinkelbos weighbridge on the N2.
In September 2023, about 17km before Cookhouse, a manganese carrier crashed into the vehicle of Middelburg businessman Calla Perry, killing him.
The number of heavy trucks on the N10 passing Cradock has increased from 5,795 in 2021/22 to an estimated 15,000 trucks in the 2023/2024 financial year, according to information provided by Nqatha to the Eastern Cape Legislature.
Manganese is transported by truck from mines in the Northern Cape and exported, mainly through the Port of Port Elizabeth in Gqeberha, where Transnet houses its main export facility for manganese in South Africa.
In the past month, there have been at least two serious incidents involving heavy trucks on the N10.
Two weeks ago, authorities had to struggle for eight hours to clear the wreckage and reopen the route after the N10 between Cookhouse and Nxuba [Cradock] was closed following a head-on collision involving two trucks.
Last year, Nqatha said spot checks along the N10 were part of a road safety strategy.
“Corridor operations are conducted every month in collaboration with Northern Cape, focusing on heavy road freight. Multidisciplinary roadblocks are also conducted each quarter, focusing on heavy trucks.
“Traffic officers are deployed on a daily basis to patrol the N9 and N10, routes the heavy trucks are travelling. Speed measuring is conducted in certain spots on the N9 and N10 routes,” Nqatha said in response to a question in the Eastern Cape Legislature. DM