South Africa sees lowest Easter road fatalities in three years

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy announced on Tuesday that South Africa has achieved its lowest Easter road fatalities in three years, reporting a 45.6% decrease in deaths and a 32.5% reduction in crashes.

Speaking at the release of the 2025 Easter Road Safety Report, Creecy praised the coordinated efforts of law enforcement, civil society, and government for the remarkable decline in road carnage.

“Crashes were reduced from 209 in 2024 to 141 in 2025," Creecy said.

“Fatalities were reduced from 307 in 2024 to 167 in 2025. All provinces recorded decreases in fatalities except Mpumalanga, which saw a 27.3% increase."

The Minister attributed the improved outcomes to "widespread and consistent law enforcement operations across all nine provinces," "coordinated action by national, provincial and local government authorities," and the success of the "It Begins With Me" campaign, which promoted safer behaviour among road users.

The campaign, launched on March 20, prioritised high-traffic routes and bolstered visible patrols during the peak Easter travel period.

"Consequently, when the Easter peak travel period came, we were well prepared," said Creecy.

Between April 17 and 21, traffic officers stopped and checked 177,584 vehicles, issued 44,505 fines, and arrested 941 drivers for drunken driving.

The highest speeding violation was recorded in Limpopo, where a driver was caught travelling at 214 km/h in a 120 km/h zone. Meanwhile, the highest blood alcohol reading was recorded in Tsolo, Eastern Cape, where a driver was found to be almost ten times over the legal limit.

Despite the progress, Creecy acknowledged challenges remain, particularly regarding pedestrian fatalities, which now account for 47% of all road deaths.

"This shocking reality indicates that our message to pedestrians is not reaching home and we have to do much more work at a local level where these accidents occur," she said.

Looking ahead, Creecy reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reducing crashes and fatalities by 50% by 2029.

“Our challenge is to sustain this achievement daily, weekly, and monthly,” she said.

The minister thanked traffic officers, SAPS members, MECs, and civil society groups for their dedication over the Easter period.

“My heartfelt appreciation also goes to all the civil society organisations, private companies and media personalities who assisted us to get the message across,” Creecy said.

Looking ahead, the Minister expressed optimism: "Overall, we now believe that it will be possible to meet our target to reduce crashes and fatalities by at least 50 percent by 2029."

Cape Argus