Pretoria: Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has condemned attempts to destabilise operations at the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral), following threats directed at staff at the Central Operations Centre (COC) in Samrand.

This after reports of a bomb scare aimed at workers at the COC emerged on Sunday. This latest incident follows threats directed at personnel employed by the electronic tolling company two weeks ago.

“There are elements in society hell-bent on undermining the peace and security of their fellow citizens. These backward and uncivilised individuals have elected to ignore all platforms made available to them by our Constitution to raise whatever concerns they may have.

“This is an attack not only on Sanral but on our Constitution, which guarantees peace and security for all citizens of our Republic. All peace-loving citizens must condemn these regressive tendencies. We call on law enforcement authorities to do all within their power to bring the perpetrators of these acts to book,” said Peters.

The minister said government, consistent with its commitment to uphold democratic practices, has never threatened or intimidated any individual or organised formations, who have previously demonstrated to share their views on the system of tolling.

Peters said the perpetrators of such crimes did not realise that their “illicit acts are diverting the attention of law enforcement authorities and emergency medical personnel from their core mandate of ensuring peace and stability, and the health of citizens in the country”.

“Someone’s life could be in real danger at the time such hoaxes are made. Instead of attending to those whose lives are genuinely in danger, officers are preoccupied with attending to these false alarms,” she said.

Peters said she has been assured by Sanral that affected personnel are receiving the necessary attention and help in dealing with the traumatic experiences of the past week and today.