Transport minister Creecy hails zero fatalities on Limpopo’s N1 over Easter

Transport minister Barbara Creecy has commended law enforcement authorities after South Africa’s busiest highway, the N1 in Limpopo, had by Monday recorded no fatal crashes during the 2025 Easter holiday.

Creecy noted traffic volumes on the N1 had reached their highest levels in five years, largely due to the Zion Christian Church reopening its pilgrimage for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Though the volume of vehicles peaked at 2,047 an hour on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, the N1 has not as yet experienced a single fatal crash,” she said, while addressing the media at the Kranskop toll gate near Middelfontein, between Bela-Bela and Modimolle on Easter Monday.

“This is a rare occurrence on this route, and it speaks of the effectiveness of our law enforcement and deployment plan in improving road safety outcomes.” 

She extended special thanks to Limpopo’s transport authorities, praising their visible presence and proactive approach.

Though the statistics are still being verified, Creecy said preliminary data points to a decline in large-scale fatal crashes. 

“We want to commend our traffic law enforcement for this success and we are confident our actions are saving lives on our roads.” 

This is in contrast to last year, when a troubling rise in Easter weekend road fatalities was recorded. Data showed 335 fatalities were recorded in 2024, up from 252 in 2023, marking a 32.9% increase.

Creecy credited the success of this year's Easter campaign to the diligence of enforcement officers and a growing shift in public behaviour.

“On the whole, I think our message that ‘road safety starts with me’ is reaching the public. I want to thank all the hundreds of thousands of drivers who are behaving responsibly and helping us significantly reduce fatal crashes and accidents on our roads.”

In total, 21,607 traffic fines were issued over the long weekend, and 512 motorists were arrested, including 111 drunk drivers in the Eastern Cape.

One shocking incident involved a motorist in Tsolo, Eastern Cape, who recorded a breath alcohol content of 2.38mg per 1,000ml, which is nearly 10 times the legal limit.

Additionally:

• 89 pedestrians were arrested for jaywalking;
• 2,225 unroadworthy vehicles were removed from the roads; and
• 2,448 vehicles were impounded for permit and regulatory violations.

Between March 20 and April 18, more than 782,000 vehicles were stopped and checked, leading to 116,013 traffic fines. Officials arrested 3,514 drivers for offences including drunk driving, excessive speeding, operating without permits and using falsified documentation.

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