The transport department together with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) marked the United Nations World Remembrance Day of Road Accident Victims at the Boekenhoutkloof Traffic College in Tshwane with a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of fallen traffic officers. According to the department, 69 traffic officers have died in the line of duty since 2019.
The Transport Department says it’s in the process of reviewing its National Road Safety Strategy to further reduce road-related fatalities as nearly 12 000 people died on South Africa’s roads last year.
A total of 11 883 people were killed on the roads in 2023, compared to 12 436 people who died in 2022.
This was revealed by Transport Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa on Sunday as the United Nations World Remembrance Day of Road Accident Victims was observed.
The department together with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) marked the day at the Boekenhoutkloof Traffic College in Tshwane with a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of fallen traffic officers.
According to Hlengwa, 69 traffic officers have died in the line of duty since 2019, the majority of these officers – 28 – were from Gauteng.
Thirteen were from KwaZulu Natal, nine from Mpumalanga, seven from Eastern Cape and Limpopo, two from the National Traffic Police as well as one each from Free State, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
“We gather together to reflect, honour, and remember those whose lives have been tragically cut short or forever changed by collisions on the roads globally.
“We also solemnly remember the fallen traffic law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty, trying to prevent road collisions and save lives.
“The National Road Safety Strategy 2016 to 2030 set a target to reduce road fatalities in the country by 50% by the year 2030 from 13 967 fatalities recorded in 2010.
“Based on this it is self-evident that South Africa has made progress, achieving 15 percent reduction compared to 2010.
“Every life lost is a call to action for all of us to take road safety seriously,” said Hlengwa.
The revision of the safety strategy includes that over the medium-term, greater focus will be put on road safety education, engineering and law enforcement.
The strategy is also about data collection where the top 20 problematic roads with high incidence of fatalities and critical infrastructure have been identified.
“Effective evaluation mechanisms will also be put in place to ensure the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of our programmes.
“The revised target set is to reduce road fatalities by 5% for the 2024/25 financial year,” he said.
The department voiced how it remains concerned over high consumption of alcohol which results in drinking and driving, and people walking in the roads intoxicated.
“About 45% of road fatalities are pedestrians and the link goes to consumption of alcohol.
“South Africa is in the top 5 globally for countries with high consumption of alcohol.
“Educational and awareness campaigns calling on the public to be safe and responsible,” said Hlengwa.
Minister Barbara Creecy is expected to launch the festive season safety national plan on December 5.
RTMC CEO Advocate Makhosini Msibi urged the public to respect law enforcers and remember the brave officers who were driven by a deep commitment to ensure safety on the roads and communities.
North West Transport MEC Wessels reminded traffic officers that they must focus on their work and beat allegations of receiving “cold drinks” and honour their fallen colleagues who died on duty by having work ethics and integrity.
Cape Times
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