Parliament, Tuesday, 13 May 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Transport has urged the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to prioritise provincial operations in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces where road fatality statistics remained stubborn. The RTMC came to brief the committee on road fatalities statistics for the Easter on Tuesday.
The committee heard that despite the massive reduction in fatalities, 41% of the fatalities occurred mostly due to pedestrian behaviour and that other contributing factors were speeding and non-wearing of seatbelts.
The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Donald Selamolela, said despite the December setback, massive improvements had been realized and that the committee was very appreciative of such an achievement. “This improvement clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the strategy that the RTMC and the Department of Transport had employed, starting from November 2024. As long as we accept that road safety is a societal matter we will win,” he stressed.
Mr Selamolela said the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga remained concerned about the committee and urged the RTMC to look at how the two province statistics remain high.
“We need to find a way to resolve this matter. The members are correct we could not afford to lose momentum from the Easter Weekend. South Africa must come to a situation where we are able to say we have recorded a zero-death.”
He called on the RTMC and the Department of Transport not to lose progress on the work they had put into Easter Weekend operations and the results that had been realized, which saw the country registering less than half-fatalities than the prior year.
Mr Selamolela said the entities must reinforce their message around behavioural change from road users, while on the other hand they emphasize budget for infrastructural improvements like the guard rails, lighting and clear signage. “Drunk and driving should not be tolerated at all, and we must find a way around issues of fatigue.”
The RTMC also revealed that it worked well with law enforcement and the recently established Border Management Agency of SA. The committee heard from the RTMC that South Africa will be a better place in the future.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORT, MR DONALD SELAMOLELA.
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