The City of Cape Town intends to add a clause in the city’s traffic by-laws that would allow them to donate cell phones confiscated by traffic officers.
The bylaw will also give Cape Town traffic officers the power to impound vehicles without prior notice if the driver is caught driving recklessly, without a licence, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
According to mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith,
While the national legislation makes the use of your cellphone or any other communications device illegal while you drive, the remedy is a fine. We took that a bit further in the bylaw and provided for impounding.
In this bylaw there is a provision to donate cellphones that are impounded. It’s been four or five years that we’ve been sitting with these devices, and we now want to get rid of them. The easiest way is to destroy them, or auction them, but we were more keen to donate them to deserving beneficiaries.
“The new bylaw creates a provision for us to donate them to neighbourhood watches, NGOs or non-profit organisations, he said
The bylaw will be released for public comment on Tuesday.
More: Times Live