Mystery roadblock 'appears' on R71

■ Joe Dreyer

In an impressive feat of organization and teamwork, members of SAPS Tzaneen in cooperation with the provincial traffic department and members of the SA Army reserve force, erected a massive roadblock on the R71 just outside Tzaneen. The roadblock was designed to stop and search vehicles entering and exiting town and inspect passenger occupancy, permits and the like. It was erected in record time near the Riverside turnoff on Friday morning.

Traffic cones were set out to direct incoming and outgoing traffic, tents were erected, and the road’s shoulder was nearly completely hidden by traffic and police vehicles as uniformed members took up position. A local private security company was also commissioned to assist. Members of the public were amazed at the sudden appearance of this roadblock on the eighth day of the national lock down. The seven days prior to the announcement of the visit by police minister Bheki Cele saw apparently very little happening at this specific section of the R71 barring of course two or three traffic officers conducting random stop and searches for a few hours each morning.

A traffic officer rests against the bonnet of his official vehicle in anticipation of his duties.

Readers of Bulletin and followers of the Daily Drive show with Joe commented on the matter with the majority expressing their disappointment. “This is all for show because they knew that the minister was coming and so they had to pull up their socks,” said one commentator over social media. “Wait until this afternoon when he has left and have a look if that impressive roadblock is still there. It won’t be, it’s all for the cameras,” said another. Following Minister Cele’s departure from Tzaneen later that afternoon, Bulletin took another drive to the roadblock and found to our dismay that the fears of our readers were not in vain. Of the many official vehicles and uniformed officers we saw earlier that morning, was left one police vehicle, one security vehicle and a solitary Limpopo Traffic vehicle.

The shoulder of the R71 near the Riverside turnoff was lined with traffic and police vehicles on Friday morning

The bright coloured signs and traffic cones were nowhere to be seen and there was not a single army member anywhere in sight. Could this really all have been “just for show” to impress the minister on his visit? Or could there be another, less imperceptive, explanation? We will be sending our inquiries to the relevant authorities and report back on the matter in next week’s edition. If you missed the video, have a look on our Facebook page under the live streaming gallery. Share your opinion on the matter with the rest of the community and if you have not yet, please like and follow us, to ensure that you stay updated without having to leave the safety of your home. Also head over to Instagram and follow us @ Bulletintzn.

Police Minister Bheki Cele at the SAPS Tzaneen Cluster Command Centre.