JMPD denies DA's R7 000 daily fine quota claims, says safety comes first
Metro police allegedly offered overtime bonuses for hitting R7 000 daily fine targets at strategic roadblock.
DA challenges legality of the JMPD operations, claiming traffic stops violate National Road Traffic Act requirements.
The party calls this Johannesburg's desperate revenue grab, demands Premier Panyaza Lesufi should act.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) has denied allegations that the City of Johannesburg is turning law enforcement into a 'cash cow' to plug the municipality's budget shortfalls.
According to JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla, its enforcement efforts are focused solely on public safety and not on revenue generation.
This comes after the DA, in a statement released on Monday, raised serious concerns about the alleged fine collection quotas imposed on JMPD officers.
According to the DA, 'officers have reliably informed us that they are under pressure to collect R7 000 a day each'.
The party said it had been approached 'by concerned JMPD insiders who describe a system where daily fine quotas are now an unwritten rule'.
However, in a statement released on the same day, the JMPD labelled these claims as misleading, insisting that public safety, not profits, is what drives its enforcement operations.
Fihla acknowledged that issuing traffic fines was part of a metro officer's duty but insisted that their performance was not judged by the number of fines they issued, but rather by their impact on road safety and compliance.
It is important to clarify that while issuing citations is an expected part of an officer's duty to enforce traffic regulations, there is no quota system that they are expected to follow.
Xolani Fihla
Fihla added: 'The integrity of our operations is paramount. All actions are taken in strict accordance with the law.'
The officers are allegedly under pressure to reach their daily R7 000 target, with overtime incentives offered to those who comply, according to the DA.
The result? A spike in roadside checks and surprise roadblocks, particularly at major intersections. According to the DA, these are not safety checkpoints, but strategic fine-collection points aimed at squeezing revenue out of ordinary, often economically struggling, motorists.
These legally indefensible roadside checks exist solely to extract revenue from struggling motorists, many of whom are already facing economic hardship.
DA
The party also questioned the legality of many roadside operations, alleging that they fail to meet the basic procedural requirements under the National Road Traffic Act and the SA Police Service Standing Orders, including proper signage, adequate warning to motorists, and senior officer authorisation.
'A DA-led government would restore integrity to JMPD operations. We would end revenue-based targets and bring traffic enforcement back to its core purpose: saving lives.'
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