By Gontse Sekhantso
The Department of Transport has set a target of reducing South Africa’s road fatalities by 50% by 2030 as government steps up road safety interventions and pushes ahead with reforms across the country’s rail, freight, ports, aviation and public transport systems.
The target was outlined at the official launch of Transport Month 2026 in Midrand, Gauteng, on Thursday.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, accompanied by deputy minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa, said the campaign, which marks 21 years since the first Transport Month in 2005, is focused on improving the reliability, safety, sustainability and affordability of the country’s transport system.
The 2026 campaign theme is: “Building a safe, sustainable, reliable and affordable transport system.”
Road safety emerged as a key focus, with government targeting a 45% reduction in fatalities by 2029 and 50% by 2030.
Hlengwa said South Africa had already recorded a decline in road deaths, with fatalities falling by 6.2% in 2025 compared with 2024.
Preliminary data also showed a 9% reduction in fatalities between January 1 and August 23, 2026, compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
The department previously reported that 6,457 people had died on the country’s roads during that period, with pedestrians accounting for 48% of fatalities.
Despite the decline, Hlengwa said government needed to sustain and accelerate the progress.
The targets are being implemented through the revised National Road Safety Strategy 2026-2030, which adopts a “safe system” approach aimed at ensuring that human error does not result in death or serious injury.
The strategy focuses on safer road users, roads and infrastructure, vehicles, speeds, enforcement and post-crash care.
Hlengwa said government was also moving ahead with legislative amendments to introduce a zero alcohol limit for motorists.
He said alcohol, together with driver behaviour, accounts for 80% of road fatalities.
The department is also focusing on hazardous road locations, pedestrian infrastructure, vehicle roadworthiness enforcement and stronger safety standards for learner and public transport vehicles.
Campaigns targeting speeding, drunk driving and distracted driving will also be intensified.
The department plans to use data and technology through the establishment of a national crash data observatory, as well as artificial intelligence and data analytics, to identify crash hotspots and support evidence-based interventions.
ARTO rollout
Hlengwa also highlighted the continued national rollout of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (ARTO) system.
Phase 2 began on July 1, bringing 62 municipal and provincial areas, including major metropolitan municipalities, into the system.
ARTO is intended to shift the management of traffic infringements from a largely criminal prosecution process to an administrative model.
Hlengwa said ARTO was not simply a traffic fine system but a road safety intervention aimed at improving compliance, accountability and driver behaviour.
The next phases will extend the system to remaining local municipalities and eventually introduce a national demerit point system and driver rehabilitation programmes.
Passenger rail recovery
Creecy, on the other hand, said government was also making progress in restoring passenger rail services, with 35 of 40 priority passenger rail lines recovered over the past two years.
Passenger trips increased from about 10 million in 2021, following the COVID-19 pandemic, to an audited 101 million trips in the 2025/26 financial year, according to Creecy.
She said passengers currently pay between R12 and R15 for a peak-hour return trip, depending on the distance travelled.
The department plans to continue refurbishing tracks, signalling systems and stations to improve the frequency and punctuality of services.
Government has set a target of achieving 600 million passenger journeys by 2030.
Freight and ports
Freight is another major priority, with government targeting 250 million tonnes of freight on the Transnet network by 2029.
Transnet moved 167.9 million tonnes during the 2025/26 financial year, according to Creecy.
The department has approved 11 train operating companies to use the state-owned national rail network, with operations expected to begin in April 2027.
Creecy said their introduction was expected to increase freight carried on the Transnet network by about 24 million tonnes a year over two years.
Government has approved R16.8 billion in public investment for rail and port infrastructure, while applications for another R23.6 billion are being developed.
Creecy said Cabinet had supported the separation of the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) into a standalone state-owned company.
She said the move would preserve strategic state ownership and control of national port infrastructure while improving investment, infrastructure development and operational capability.
As an independent company, TNPA will be able to use its revenue to invest in port infrastructure and equipment, Creecy said.
Aviation and roads
Creecy said South Africa had retained its position as the highest-ranking country in Africa for civil aviation safety, with a final safety rating of 94.99% and a seventh-place global ranking in the assessment.
On roads, she said SANRAL’s major infrastructure projects were expected to create more than 35,000 job opportunities while supporting more than 2,000 small enterprises.
SANRAL has also committed more than R260 million to repair and climate-proof roads damaged by floods in Mpumalanga.
The agency will also move away from pre-selected panels for road maintenance tenders and return to open, route-by-route tendering, Creecy said.
Road Accident Fund reforms
Hlengwa said government was also working on reforms to the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
A proposed Road Accident Benefit Scheme would introduce a no-fault model and address the financial and fiscal pressures facing the RAF.
The department is also expanding RAF services through its Extended Reach and Accessibility Programme, including a larger presence at public hospitals.
Hlengwa said the programme had conducted more than 1,284 claimant consultations and inquiries, registered 82 direct claims, concluded 54 settlements and paid more than R35.1 million directly to claimants.
The department has identified six priority areas covering freight, ports, rail, passenger journeys, aviation and road safety.
According to Creecy, the broader objective is to build an integrated transport system that supports economic growth while providing South Africans with safer, more affordable and reliable ways to move people and goods.
With road deaths remaining a major national concern, the 2030 target will depend on the implementation of the safety strategy, enforcement, infrastructure improvements and changes in road-user behaviour.
The department says Transport Month will be used to move beyond awareness and demonstrate progress.
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