Traffic officers in the North West celebrated Nelson Mandela’s birthday in a rather unique manner.

During road blocks on the main road of the North West province on Thursday 18 July they encouraged motorists to sign a pledge to commit that they will forever put on their safety belts when driving. More than 380 motorists signed pledges at these roadblocks.

The main aim of the gesture was to get the motorist to assist traffic authorities in saving lives and further prevent deaths on provincial roads.  Motorists travelling between Lichtenburg and Koster were encouraged to give Mandela a birthday gift of a life-saving commitment by signing a pledge to put on their safety belts all the time, which most agreed and endorsed.

Nono Maloyi, MEC for Human Settlements Public Safety and Liaison in the province said, “The department has realised that most motorists and passengers don’t put on their safety belts when traveling and that contributes to the high number of deaths on the road.”

“Many people die as a result of not putting on their safety belts. Therefore we would like them to commit to save their lives and that of their family members. This will be the greatest gift to the former president Nelson Mandela who valued life. We appeal to our people to live with this commitment as it will definitely save lives which Mandela fought for.”

Officials from the Province’s Public Safety department spent their 67 minutes in honouring Mandela’s legacy by painting pedestrian crossings in some parts of Mahikeng and further spread the message of safe driving and comply with the law.