Chikunga says Transport Dept will bolster efforts to reduce road deaths in SA

GRASMERE TOLL PLAZA - Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said her department would bolster its efforts to significantly reduce road fatalities on the country's roads.
 
Chikunga gave an update on last year's road statistics, which saw a decrease just shy of 1 percent from 2022.
 
The minister has praised all road officials, who she said sacrificed their festive celebrations to ensure the safety of all South African road users. 
 
Its all hands on deck for a proud transport department, which will see more road officials joining its ranks.
 
Chikunga said that a recent assessment of the overall stats had provided her with the necessary information to prevent road fatalities countrywide.
 
With the Easter season mere months away and a number of long weekends, the minister said her department would work tirelessly to protect all road users. 
 
"The number of traffic officers in South Africa on any day, they are not enough. We'd want to have many, so that we are able to allocate them to our national roads, provincial roads but also to our urban areas, residential areas where many pedestrians die... so, they are not enough."
 
Chikunga took a moment after her briefing on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the men and women who spent long nights on the country's roads, monitoring driving patterns and enforcing the law.