Transport Dept prioritising the 5 provinces with most road fatalities
As the country enters the peak of the festive season period, the Department of Transport said it would be prioritizing the five provinces with the most road fatalities.
On Friday, the department released provisional figures for road crashes, revealing that 719 people had died on the country’s roads since 1 December.
Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, and Western Cape accounted for 80% of the of the deaths, with four provinces recording increases.
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said the first three weeks of the festive season were marked by deliberate lawlessness by South African motorists.
During that period, traffic officers arrested over 3,500 drivers for various offences, with drunk driving being the most prominent.
Chikunga said traffic data showed a lot of people driving towards KwaZulu-Natal for the Christmas and New Year period.
“They actually say we’re going to have a number of people on the beaches of KwaZulu-Natal, in the residential areas of KwaZulu-Natal.
“We have had a very close engagement with them to say which areas we must target, and we have identified those areas for visibility.”
The minister said the early release of these statistics would help the department curb road fatalities at hotspot areas this season.
-EWN
In other news – PICS: Big Zulu takes a bath in the river
Popular South African rapper, Big Zulu’s pictures bathing in the river in Bergville got fans talking. Siyabonga Nene remains one of the country’s most talented hip-hop musicians, with many hits to his name.
His hit Mali Eningi remains one of the country’s most-played hip-hop songs. Despite having such a massive profile, Big Zulu loved to spend time in the countryside. A few weeks ago, he was back home training for his boxing match, running in the mountains. Read More
