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The Transport Department’s Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa during a Festive Season Road Safety Campaign on December 14, 2025.
The Transport Department’s Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa says law enforcement authorities have noticed an increase in reckless overtaking as well as drinking and driving incidents.
The Department’s festive season preliminary road safety report shows a decline in fatalities compared to the same period last year.
According to the report, there has been a 20.9% reduction in fatal crashes and a 20.8% reduction in fatalities from December 1 to December 16.
The department has also revealed that the average number of road fatalities per day stands at 32, which is the lowest in five years.
Hlengwa says, “Just this past weekend we were observing with the RTMC (Road Traffic Management Corporation) an area of concern is overtaking in areas where it is not safe to do so, which amongst others are resulting in major crashes.”
He adds, “We are calling for patience on the part of all the drivers and road users. What we are seeing is that this risk is being played out rather recklessly and at a heightened level, and we are calling on people to desist from drinking and driving, to desist from jaywalking and not to overtake.”
VIDEO | Interview with Hlengwa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ87NwEZFKk
Mpumalanga’s Transport Department has advised motorists using the R533 between Graskop and Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga to use alternative routes after the road was damaged by heavy rains.
The department has dispatched a team to attend to the damage.
Officials say motorists should be cautious while driving in the wet conditions.
