Johnathan Paoli
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga along with MECs and other stakeholders officially launched the 2023/24 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign on Sunday at the Tsakane Stadium near Brakpan, Ekurhuleni.
Chikunga was joined by the MECs of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, CEOs of Transport entities, transport stakeholders and law enforcement officers
The campaign’s main focus this year was on how alcohol affects driving behavior and how it contributes to what the department termed ‘road carnage’ with the theme being creating an awareness to save lives during the holidays.
Road Traffic Management Corporation spokesperson Simon Zwane said that in line with World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims the launch was also an opportunity to remember all the victims and survivors of road crashes.
“Our analysis tells us that we have to focus on the five provinces that contribute 80% of the fatalities on the South African roads. Those are Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Limpopo,” Zwane said.
RTMC CEO Makhosini Msibi said the main intention of the campaign was to start facilitating awareness as the country was entering the festive season to ensure that all road users are using the roads sparingly, considerably in order to help save lives.
Msibi said that statistics have shown a reduction in the amount of fatalities but that every death was a death too much for the RTMC.
Road traffic crashes result in the deaths of approximately 1.3 million people around the world each year and leave between 20 and 50 million people with non-fatal injuries.
Last month Chikunga, together with MECs for Transport, Public Works and Liaison, Department entities and stakeholders in the sector launched the 18th installment of the annual October Transport Month (OTM) campaign under the theme “Sakhile – we have built better infrastructure, growing South Africa Together”.
In addition, Chikunga raised the problem of the overlap and inter-departmental problems concerning accidents and said that the government could not let criminals use roads which is a source of income for many in the country, as a vehicle for their criminal activities.
Chikunga and her VIP security detail were earlier this month, robbed on the N3 between Vosloorus and Heidelberg, after attempting to repair a flat tyre.
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