By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Deputy Transport Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa has painted a grim picture of road safety during the 2024 festive season.
Hlengwa conducted a road safety campaign at the Grasmere toll plaza in the south of Johannesburg on Friday.
At least 571 people have been killed on the country’s roads since the 1st of December.
He revealed that Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Limpopo account for a staggering 70% of road fatalities in South Africa so far.
Gauteng has emerged as the province with the highest share of road fatalities, contributing 19% of the national total. KwaZulu-Natal follows with 15%, the Western Cape with 14%, and both the Eastern Cape and Limpopo with 11% each. The Free State and Mpumalanga account for 10% and 9%, respectively, while the North West contributed 7% and the Northern Cape the least with 4%.
Hlengwa highlighted the importance of roadblocks as the department remains concerned about the rising fatalities on South African roads.
What we do want to reiterate is that let us all be safe on the roads. There’s a need for us to observe rules to comply with the directives of law enforcement, “he said.
“There is too much speeding and impatience on the road, people are simply rushing to get to where they need to get to because they have not left home on time,” Hlengwa said.
The deputy minister urged the public not to drink and drive or drink and walk, emphasising the need for honest discussions about the country’s high levels of alcohol consumption.
Hlengwa cautioned motorists, especially content creators, against using their phones for taking videos or chatting on WhatsApp while driving, as it endangers other road users.
He also advised motorists to take breaks during long trips — either every two hours or 200km.
“We are finding that the high levels of fatigue are a major contributing factor to accidents.”
He also pleaded with truck drivers to be patient and observe traffic rules on the roads during the festive period.
“I do want to make a clarion call to the truck drivers, particularly the driving that they are doing in the early hours of the morning, between 3 am and 6 am.”
“We are calling on truck drivers and operators to actually assist us by a heightened sense of discipline, observation and patience on the road” he added.
The National Safer Festive Season Operations is a 46-day campaign starting from 1 December 2024 to mid-January 2025, aimed at ensuring increased police visibility across the country during the festive period, especially in high-risk zones.