Provincial Department of Transport and Community Safety is rocked by worrying shortage of traffic officers.
THE Democratic Alliance (DA) says it has noted an alarming shortage of traffic officers and operational resources in the province.
According to the party, Premier Phophi Ramathuba has confirmed that the province requires 2 452 traffic officers to optimally fulfil its traffic-law-enforcement mandate.
The DA’ spokesperson on Transport and Community Safety, Franco Marx says the province currently has only 1 264 traffic officers.
“This means Limpopo province has a shortage of 1 188 traffic officers, or nearly 50% of the required compliment.
This reveals serious concerns regarding the provincial traffic vehicle fleet, according to the premier. 400 vehicles are currently available.
A further 200 vehicles are at the state garage
These 200 include vehicles that must be written off. These figures raise serious questions about the province’s actual capacity to maintain visible traffic policing, conduct effective law-enforcement operations and respond to road-safety challenges across Limpopo.
“The shortage is particularly concerning considering the vast distances that provincial traffic officers must cover and the continued need for visible law enforcement on Limpopo’s major routes” says Marx.
The DA says it has previously raised concerns about the diversion of traffic resources to the premier’s protection arrangements.
“In January, the DA questioned reports that 12 traffic officers and two additional vehicles were being utilised for the premier’s protection detail. Against the newly disclosed shortage of 1 188 traffic officers, every available officer and operational vehicle should be deployed where it can contribute to the safety of Limpopo’s road users,” he says.
The department told Mopani Times that it has an action plan to recruit and train additional traffic officers to strengthen capacity and support the implementation of the 24/7 traffic deployment plan across the province.
Spokesperson Mashudu Mabatha says the implementation of the 24/7 deployment plan will be phased, with the first phase targeted to commence in September 2026.
According to her, 154 traffic officer learners were recruited in 2025 and commenced training at the Provincial Traffic College in January 2026. “Their training is scheduled to run until December 2026, after which they will be absorbed into the system and appointed as traffic officers during 2027. In addition, the department advertised the recruitment of 204 additional learners in July 2026. These learners are targeted to undertake the traffic officer training programme from January to December 2027, with their appointment as traffic officers planned for 2028. The department is also strengthening the availability of vehicles for traffic officers. A total of 104 vehicles were procured and allocated to traffic officers in March 2026. A further 93 vehicles have been procured and are scheduled for allocation by August 2026.
“These interventions form part of the department’s broader efforts to increase personnel and logistical capacity and progressively implement the 24/7 traffic deployment plan throughout the province;” she says.