Mpumalanga Safety MEC, Vusi Shongwe, says they are doing everything in their power to curb road fatalities in the province. The province has so far recorded a 26% increase in the number of people dying on the roads since the beginning of the festive season.
In 2020, over the same time, the province lost 87 people while this year it has already registered 110. Speaking to the media at a roadblock on one of the busiest national roads in the province, MEC Shongwe called on road users to be vigilant.
“The cause of these accidents mainly are human error. You will remember that’s the other one in R573 your Moloto Road, the driver is charged with culpable homicide where nine people died at the spot. Also in these other ones where we are counting the statistics our investigations are showing that it is not the road and it’s not the car conditions. The drivers sometimes they are driving under influence of liquor and sometimes they are driving while they are completely tired,” says Shongwe.
Festive Season | 111 fatal crashes in 2021 compared to 34 in 2020
Meanwhile, Public Works MEC Mohita Latchminarain who was at the same roadblock says some motorists are not only disobeying traffic laws but also traffic officials.
“Since the 1st of December, we have the impounded 1300 vehicles already. Obviously it’s a high number but we are looking to increase it even further. Look the safety of our people is our main concern but also the safety of our officials. If you look at the arrogance of the drivers when they are stopped they don’t want to stop and we say let them pass and we can get them at a later stage. But for us to put our officials like that risk in terms of their own safety, we don’t want to do that,” says Latchminarain.
