LISTEN | More than 1,400 people died on South African roads over the festive season

More than 1,400 people died on South Africa's roads over the festive season, with the highest number recorded in Gauteng, the only province to register an increase.

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula on Tuesday released the statistics for 2022/23. He revealed that 1,451 people died, a 13.9% decrease compared to the previous year's total of 1,685. 

Mbalula expressed concern at the high number of pedestrian deaths over the festive season.

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“Pedestrian fatalities remain a major source of concern. Pedestrian fatalities significantly increased by 10% year-on-year, from 31% in the previous period to 41%,” he said.

“Simply put, out of every 100 road crash fatalities, 41 are pedestrians. In Gauteng and Western Cape, pedestrian fatalities constitute 54%, implying that of every 100 people that died from a road crash, 54 were pedestrians.

“For this festive season, passenger fatalities recorded a 7% decline, with 31% recorded in the current period, compared to 38% in the previous festive season. Our message to buckle up must continue to resonate with motorists as a life-saving mechanism.”

He said unbuckled children and adults have been flung out of cars, resulting in serious injuries and deaths that could have been prevented. 

The minister said a 6.5% reduction in fatal crashes was recorded — 1,211 this year compared to 1,295 in the previous year.

According to Mbalula, most of the crashes occurred between Fridays and Sundays and from December 15-28, when 643 people died.

He gave the following provincial breakdown of road fatalities:

• Western Cape fatalities dropped from 207 to 131, a 36.7% reduction;
• Mpumalanga fatalities dropped from 189 to 144, a 23.8% reduction;
• Northern Cape fatalities dropped from 65 to 51, a 21.5% reduction;
• North West fatalities dropped from 119 to 94, a 21% reduction;
• Limpopo fatalities dropped from 226 to 179, a 20.8% reduction;
• KwaZulu-Natal fatalities dropped from 275 to 240, a 12.7% reduction;
• Eastern Cape fatalities dropped from 210 to 205, a 2.4% reduction;
• Free State fatalities dropped from 119 to 117, a 1.7% reduction; but
• Gauteng fatalities increased from 275 to 290, a 5.5% increase.

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