KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of road fatalities during the 2024/25 festive season, with 304 people losing their lives in 247 fatal crashes. This marks a stark increase from the 2023/24 season.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy revealed these statistics on Monday while presenting the preliminary festive season road safety report. She expressed deep concern over the rising road carnage.
“The statistics show that South African road users continue to disobey traffic laws with no regard for human life, leading to tragic consequences,” said Ms Creecy.
Across the country, 1502 fatalities were recorded from 1234 fatal crashes during the festive period, reflecting a 5.3% increase in deaths and a 4.2% rise in crashes compared to the previous year.
Eighteen major crashes resulted in 134 fatalities, with minibuses implicated in 53% of these incidents. Pedestrian fatalities remained a critical issue, accounting for 41% of all deaths. KwaZulu-Natal was among the top three provinces with the highest pedestrian fatality rate at 44.33%.
Ms Creecy highlighted that 87% of crashes were due to human factors such as speeding, drunken driving, reckless overtaking, fatigue, hit-and-runs, and jaywalking.
During the festive season, law enforcement agencies made 9550 arrests nationwide.
These included:
3 840 arrests for drunken driving;
414 arrests for speeding, with some offenders caught driving at speeds between 200km/h and 245km/h.
The highest speed was recorded in Gauteng, where a driver was caught driving a BMW sedan at 245km/h on the N1 near Honeydew;
Officers issued 711184 traffic fines, with 23607 drivers penalised for not wearing seatbelts and 16925 fined for using cell phones while driving. Additionally, 16527 vehicles were declared unroadworthy, and 8917 vehicles were impounded.
Ms Creecy emphasised the need for behavioural change among drivers and pedestrians. “Government and law enforcement cannot do it alone. The statistics send a clear message: South Africans must obey the law and follow basic road safety rules.”
To address the ongoing crisis, Ms Creecy has requested provinces to analyse their statistics and develop actionable plans to improve road safety. These plans, to be discussed at the end of January, will include stricter consequences for those who disregard road safety.
“These numbers on paper don’t capture the human stories, the families torn apart, and the pain of losing loved ones to road crashes,” she said.
