Traffic volumes have increased on Mpumalanga roads as people return from holidays

Traffic volumes have increased on the Mpumalanga roads as travellers return to different destinations.

Since the beginning of the new year, 22 people have lost their lives so far in various crashes including pedestrians.

Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Safety and Liaison spokesperson Moeti Mmusi says traffic officers are on high alert on all the major roads and has urged motorists to drive with extra caution.

“The roads are very busy so far in the province because most people are returning back to work. At the border there is a significant increase in traffic volumes, roads such as the N2 between Piet Retief and Ermelo as well as N3 near Balfour and also the N17 the one that comes from eSwatini to Gauteng via Mpumalanga is also very busy,” says Mmusi.

KwaZulu-Natal Traffic Volumes 

The number of deaths in road crashes in KwaZulu-Natal has decreased by 14% during the past December compared to the same period in 2020.

Transport MEC, Peggy Nkonyeni says the number of crashes has also decreased from 237 in December 2020 to 194 this past December.

Nkonyeni has visited a roadblock at Mariannhill Toll Plaza on the N3 at Durban as many holidaymakers are returning home today. Nkonyeni has appealed on motorists to follow the rules of the road so they will arrive home unscathed.

Nkonyeni says a roadblock last month where the licences and permits of foreign truck drivers were checked, has substantiated complaints by the All Truck Drivers Federation.

Last month trucks blockaded the N3 at Van Reenens Pass, complaining about foreign truck drivers driving illegally. Nkonyeni says she will discuss the issue further with the truck drivers organisation and employers in the logistics sector.

KZN Traffic Update | An increase in traffic on N3 between Durban and Johannesburg