Road fatalities in Limpopo drop by 8.4% during festive season

Limpopo – In a significant development for road safety, MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Florence Radzilani, has expressed her approval of the 8.4% decrease in road fatalities in Limpopo during the 2023/24 festive season. This announcement on 25 January 2024, released by the Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, marks a notable improvement in the province’s road safety record.
Attributing this positive trend to the “ongoing collaborative effort between law enforcement officials, road users, and other social partners,” MEC Radzilani highlighted the importance of teamwork in achieving such results. The festive season of 2023/24 saw 181 road fatalities, a reduction from the 196 recorded in the same period of 2022/23.

However, MEC Radzilani expressed deep concern over the loss of 10 children in these incidents, describing it as a tragic and painful loss of young lives.

Another area of concern is the rise in pedestrian fatalities, particularly those suspected to be related to alcohol impairment. Labelled as ‘drunk jay-walkers,’ these incidents often involve pedestrians crossing roads from taverns and shebeens. Out of 62 pedestrian-involved accidents, 30 were identified as ‘hit and runs’, indicating a troubling trend of motorists fleeing the scene.