Members of the municipal traffic department were literally left dumbfounded on Friday, February 2, when they witnessed a motorboat travelling along the N1 north under its own steam and without the aid of a trailer.

Winnie Ramalebana and Zwanga Thukhutha saw the boat and were left with no other choice but to pull it over. The boat, converted into a vehicle, belongs to Mr Freddy Hall. He was on his way from Carletonville to Musina for a Road Hoggs event.

After pulling the vehicle over, the traffic officials were uncertain as to what to do next. In the end, the boat was escorted to the municipal testing grounds. Owner Freddy was very upset about this, stating that he had travelled the whole of South Africa and had never been confronted in this manner by traffic officials. He also stated that, although the boat is not on the road as far as licensing is concerned, he does have a legitimate permit to travel with the vehicle.

A war of words started between the owner and the traffic officials. The vehicle was travelling at night with spotlights for headlamps and the engine was not covered. Local traffic chief Supt Jan Zitha stated that the vehicle did not comply with the guidelines set out in the Road Safety Act. Later, Mr Hall was let go with a warning when his paper work checked out. He did, however, have to put the boat on a trailer.