By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa wishes South Africans a safe Easter weekend, urging drivers to reduce speed and buckle up.
Ramaphosa extended warm wishes to Christian denominations celebrating the holiday as well as to those using the break for rest and social connection.
He noted the importance of patience, respect and responsible behaviour to ensure a safe and harmonious holiday for all.
“As we move around our beautiful country, let us reduce speed, buckle up, rest up and leave our phones alone while we’re driving,” Ramaphosa said.
He also highlighted the need for vehicle maintenance and early travel planning to avoid rushing and to promote safer road conditions.
The Easter holiday is historically marked by a surge in road traffic as families travel to reunite with loved ones or attend religious gatherings.
Unfortunately, this increase in movement often leads to a spike in road accidents, with reckless driving, fatigue and poorly maintained vehicles cited as major contributing factors.
The number of road fatalities over Easter weekend in 2024 was 335 – up 33 percent from 252 the previous year – while fatal crashes increased 14 percent from 207 to 236, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation.
Last month, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy launched of the 2025 Easter Season Road Safety Arrive Alive campaign, which started on 20 March and will run until 2 May 2025.
The objective of the campaign is not only to ensure smooth flows of traffic but also prevent negligent and reckless driving which could result in road crashes, injuries and fatalities.
The campaign is being held under the theme: “It begins with Me.”
“We chose this theme because driver and pedestrian behaviour is responsible for 87% of road accidents and fatalities in our country. And so, reducing road fatalities and accidents is the responsibility of each one of us,” Creecy said at the launch.
The 2025 Easter weekend spans from Good Friday (18 April) to Easter Monday ( 21 April), with Easter Sunday falling on 20 April 2025.