By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy says there were 167 fatalities recorded on the country’s roads during the 2025 Easter weekend period, compared to the 307 road fatalities recorded during the 2024.
Creecy and her Deputy Mkhuleko Hlengwa released the Easter Weekend road safety report at a media briefing on Tuesday.
The report provides an account of the Easter weekend road safety campaign interventions as well as road crashes and fatalities during the 2025 Easter weekend period.
Last month, government launched the 2025 Easter Season Road Safety Arrive Alive campaign. Launched on 20 March, the campaign will run until 2 May 2025, under the theme: “It begins with Me.”
The campaign is aimed at reducing road fatalities during the high-traffic holiday period through integrated law enforcement and public education.
At a recent media briefing, Creecy said that early indications were showing a significant decrease in fatalities and crashes in all provinces with the exception of Mpumalanga.
The Western Cape Provincial Government has expressed encouragement over the slight decline in road-related fatalities during this year’s Easter long weekend. It said that between 17 and 21 April 2025, a total of 22 fatal crashes were recorded in the province, resulting in 22 lives lost. This marked a decline when compared to the 26 road-related fatalities reported over the 2024 Easter period.
“Fatalities were reduced from 307 in 2024 to 167 in 2025, which is a 45.6% decrease. All provinces recorded decreases in fatalities compared to 2024, except Mpumalanga, which recorded a 27.3% increase — 28 fatalities compared with 22 in 2024.”
Other provinces’ fatalities were:
- Eastern Cape: 28 (29 in 2024);
- Free State: 7 (12);
- Gauteng: 22 (52);
- KwaZulu-Natal: 27 (47);
- Limpopo: 13 (81)
- Northern Cape: 6 (17)
- North West: 14 (21); and
- Western Cape: 22 (26).
She said crashes were reduced from 209 in 2024 to 141 in 2025. This is a 32.5% overall decrease compared to 2024.
Creecy attributed the overall decrease in both crashes and fatalities to three factors: widespread and consistent law enforcement operations across all nine provinces; co-ordinated action by national, provincial and local government authorities; and significant partnerships between civil society and government resulted in significant messaging that impacted positively on driver behaviour through the “it begins with me” campaign.
“Our Easter campaign will end on May 4 because of the four long weekends that characterises this period. Long weekends are a period when the risk of fatal crashes and fatalities increase because of drunken driving, increased pedestrian movements, sports and social events including increase traffic volumes on national and provincial routes,” she said.
Creecy said that some of the highlights during the Easter period include: 177 584 vehicles were stopped and checked;44 505 traffic fines were issued; 2 018 vehicles were discontinued; 1 536 vehicles were impounded; 941 drivers were arrested for drunken driving; 89 drivers were arrested for excessive speeding,;12 pedestrians were arrested for jaywalking and eight drunk drivers were arrested for attempting to bribe officers.
“The driver with the highest breath alcohol content was arrested in Tsolo in the Eastern Cape with an alcohol reading of 2.38milligrams per 1000 millilitres of breath which is also almost ten times the legal breath alcohol limit, “she said.