. . . Lesotho attracts regional attention
Rethabile Pitso
THE introduction of the E-spotfine device in 2019 has far exceeded its initial target of addressing the growing backlog of traffic offence records.
This, according to Senior Inspector Moeketsi Mahetlane, Head of ICT at the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS), marks a significant milestone in modernising traffic management.
“What started as a search for ways to manage mounting traffic offence records evolved into a mission that provided comprehensive solutions for the entire force,” Snr/Insp Mahetlane told Lesotho Times yesterday.
Snr/Insp Mahetlane, joined by Engidata Managing Director, Neo Kolobe, described how equipping traffic officers with the digital E-spot fine device has been transformative.
The E-spotfine is an electronic traffic fine management system that allows officers to issue tickets instantly. It connects to the Traffic Department’s driver database, providing officers access to outstanding offences, and is fitted with GPS to report real-time incidents to superiors.
The initiative resulted from collaboration between LMPS, Engidata, and financial support from the Road Fund, with recent funding secured from the World Bank.
The device’s success has drawn regional attention. Officers from the Republic of Namibia recently visited Lesotho for E-spotfine training after the country achieved a 61% payment rate of spot fines within seven days — a SADC record.
“Before 2010, the traffic department used 100-page books to record offences manually. Once filled, new books were issued, resulting in piles of untracked records. Often officers could not follow up on offences older than three months, and many offenders went unpunished. The deterrent effect was lost, so we sought a lasting solution — which we found in the E-spotfine device.”
The system has also improved performance tracking.
“We can monitor officers’ activities, identify underperformers, and detect offence hot spots. For example, we can now pinpoint areas notorious for over speeding and even track habitual offenders,” Mahetlane explained.
Mr Kolobe said while payment rates are high, repeat offences remain an issue because the low M30 fine does not deter offenders.
“In 1981, M30 was a heavy fine, but today it cannot even buy a plate of food. The Road Fund plans to review it, and we support that,” he said, citing Namibia’s fines ranging from M300 to M8000.
Mr Kolobe added that unpaid fines affect government revenue and that his organisation supports introducing a demerit system to revoke licences of habitual offenders.
Despite initial skepticism and funding challenges, the device is now deployed in high-traffic police stations across the country and has been well received by officers.
“It took almost 10 years to secure funding and approval, but we designed it to be user-friendly,” he said.
