Traffic police, do your job

Driving home from the north of Pretoria on Saturday night, I encountered something that left me unsettled.

- Oratile Mashilo

As I approached the area near Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre, a traffic light was out of order.

Naturally, one would expect motorists to treat it as a four-way stop, as per the K53 driving rules.

Yet, the cars before me breezed through without stopping - and none of them were pulled over. A scene that is familiar to many of us.

But when my turn came, I was flagged down by a Tshwane metro police officer conducting a road block.

As I waited for him to approach, I noticed a pattern: only certain cars, a Mercedes-Benz, a BMW, a VW and a Jeep, were being stopped.

Perhaps it has to do with the perception that people who own these cars drive like nonsense.

Still, it immediately made me question the fairness and purpose of these stops.