Mobility
With regard to the deployment, cost and training of traffic officers in the Western Cape:
(a)What was the total number of traffic officers employed in the province in (i) 2020/21, (ii) 2021/22, (iii) 2022/23, (iv) 2023/24 and (v) 2024/25, (b) what has been the cost to his Department associated with the employment of traffic officers in the same period, (c)(i) what training and development programmes are currently in place for traffic
officers and (ii) what were the associated costs for training and development programmes for the period in (a) above and (d)(i) what are his Department’s projections for the em-ployment of new traffic officers during the 2025/26 financial year and (i) what is the anticipated cost?
(a) The total number of traffic officers employed in the Western Cape for the respective financial years is as follows:
- (i) 2020/21: Staff establishment as at 1 April 2020 was 481 officers. No new intake was conducted for the 2020 calendar year.
- (ii) 2021/22: 87 cadet traffic officers were recruited (Class of 2021).
- (iii) 2022/23: 85 cadet traffic officers were recruited (Class of 2022).
- (iv) 2023/24: No new intake (Class of 2023).
- (v) 2024/25: 119 cadet traffic officers were recruited (Class of 2024). As at 1 April 2025, the staff establishment was 650 officers, which includes the 119 cadets appointed on fixed-term contracts. Provision has been made to fill 120 permanent posts on 1 December 2025.
Note: Intakes are conducted per calendar year and therefore overlap two financial years. A total of 122 officers exited the service during this period due to reasons such as resignation and retirement.
(b) The expenditure incurred by the Department for the employment of traffic officers over the relevant period is as follows:
- 2020/21: R 220,337,000
- 2021/22: R 247,758,000
- 2022/23: R 275,748,000
- 2023/24: R 290,835,000
- 2024/25: R 315,001,000
(c)
(i) The Department currently offers the following training and development programmes for traffic officers:
- Examiner of Driving Licences Training
- Examiner of Vehicles Training
- Firearm Refresher Training
- Evidentiary Breath Alcohol Testing (EBAT) Training
- Driver Training
(ii) The cost of training and development primarily consists of travel and subsistence allowances, accommodation, and transportation for officers required to attend courses at the Brackenfell Training College. Programmes such as the Examiner of Vehicles training require in-person contact sessions and cannot currently be decentralised.
From 2020 to 2025, a total of 57 officers were trained as Examiners of Vehicles at a total cost of R 3.1 million. For the 2025/26 financial year, 16 officers have been trained to date during a 12-week course.
(d)
(i) There is no planned intake of new cadet traffic officers for the 2025/26 financial year. However, cadet inspectors who graduated in December 2024 were appointed on one-year contracts to obtain the practical experience required to apply for permanent positions. A total of 120 Provincial Inspector posts (salary level 6) will be advertised and filled by 1 December 2025 to ensure the continuity of services over the festive period.
(ii) The anticipated cost, related to the adjustment from salary level 3 to level 6 for a four-month period (December 2025 to March 2026), is calculated as follows:
- Salary Level 3 (including 37% benefits): R 224,241.60
- Salary Level 6 (including 37% benefits): R 369,213.63
- Difference per officer: R 144,972.03
- Pro-rated over 4 months for 120 officers: ± R 5.8 million
The Department continues to engage with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to explore a blended training model that will reduce the impact of prolonged contact training on operational capacity.
