Kenny Kunene open to training homeless in ‘healthy conditions’ to control traffic during power cuts

Johannesburg transport MMC Kenny Kunene says he is open to training homeless people in “healthy conditions” to direct traffic during load-shedding. 

This comes after mounting calls from frustrated motorists who expressed their anger over load-shedding affecting traffic and causing delays and congestion on roads. 

Addressing the media this week, Kunene said homeless people directing traffic need to be trained.

He said while there is no plan at the moment to train homeless people to direct traffic during load-shedding, he is looking at consulting with private companies to come on board. 

“The homeless, you must have seen that some of them are very tipsy when they control traffic and they could be opening both lanes because they’re not talking to each other.

"We will look at those who are in a healthy condition to train, but I think that my input with the MMC of public safety is that we perhaps partner with the companies that are going to work with us and come up with a model that one insurance company has done and see how they can assist us in terms of adopting some traffic intersections where they will also take care of those controlling traffic. At this point in time there is no plan from my side to train them,” said Kunene. 

He said it was embarrassing for a “world-class city” to have homeless people directing traffic. 

“We have engaged the MMC of public safety to try and fast track a program where we can train young people to be able to conduct traffic. We're also going to speak to the private sector. We have already started to speak to one company, Investec, about allowing us to power our traffic signals through their backup power which is generators and solar power,” he said.

Speaking on Power 98.7, Johannesburg metropolitan police department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the department can’t send traffic officers to every intersection during load-shedding.

“Our challenge is manpower, so we can’t have every officer at every intersection and every corner,” he said. 

“Due to our responsibilities when it comes to crime prevention, bylaw enforcement and attending to life-threatening emergencies, we can’t be at every corner.”

Fihla previously warned civilians against directing traffic during blackouts, saying it is illegal for any untrained or unauthorised person to direct traffic in the absence of traffic officials or during load-shedding.

He said the city will not be liable should anything go wrong. 

“The challenge with having an unauthorised person doing that is if an accident happens within that intersection, the city won’t be liable for that accident and it will be a problem for the motorists,” he told SABC News. 

He said residents who direct traffic during blackouts will not be arrested but will be removed by officers. 

“The only time the city will be liable is when an authorised person or JMPD officer is controlling traffic or when the JMPD officer sees a homeless person controlling traffic and fails to relieve them.”

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