The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) says it will intervene to reduce road accidents and fatalities in the Eastern Cape as holidaymakers prepare to return to the cities and their places of work in the next few days.
The province has seen scores of accidents, with the death toll estimated at around 200 people.
RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said analysis of fatal crash statistics since the start of the festive season had revealed that the Amathole District in the Eastern Cape "is one of the top 10 districts experiencing a high number of crashes and fatalities nationally".
"The district is one of seven districts in the province. It stretches from Idutywa to Fort Beaufort and includes towns such as Butterworth and Stutterheim," he added.
"Statistics have shown that fatal crashes in this district involved public transport vehicles that had driven long distances between the Western Cape or Gauteng without sufficient rest.
"Law enforcers and the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) have observed that some drivers did not depart from designated areas in the district during peak period, travelled inter-provincially to pick up passengers, and were fatigued when the crashes occurred."
Zwane said the interventions would involve mobilising traditional leaders and engaging public transport operators in an attempt to reduce the high number of crashes and fatalities in the province.
Based on media statements from the Eastern Cape Department of Transport, more than 50 people died in accidents in just 10 days.
On 16 December, 14 people died in an accident in Graaff-Reinet. Two more died in an accident on the Kei Cuttings the following day.
On 21 December, seven people died in two separate accidents in Fort Jackson and near Ndabakazi. On the same day, three people died between Nxumba and Graaff-Reinet.
The following day, 12 people died outside Dutywa. One person was killed in a crash in MaXesibeni, and a pedestrian was hit near Qonce.
On 23 December, a 2-year-old boy was killed in a crash near Qumrha, and four people died in a collision near Qumbu. On the same day, another four people died on the R61 between Komani and Tarkastad.
On Christmas Eve, two people died in a crash near Aberdeen, and another two were killed near Gonubie.
On Boxing Day, two people were killed when their vehicle caught alight near Xesi.
'Staggering increase'
Eastern Cape transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the death toll in the province had reached "three figures at the moment".
He said the national department would release detailed figures but estimated that the total number of lives lost could be between 150 and 200.
DA spokesperson Kabelo Mogatosi said at least 202 people had died between 1 and 28 December, a "staggering increase" from the 97 fatalities reported during the same period in 2023.
Mogatosi said: "As expected, high-risk routes such as the N2 (with more than 42 fatalities) and the R61 (with more than 21 fatalities) have again proven to be the deadliest. The single deadliest accident took place on the N9 near Graaff-Reinet, where 14 people lost their lives."
Binqose said this weekend, as people start returning to work in other provinces, significant traffic was expected on the province's roads.
"On routes like the R61 and the N2 connecting us with the Western Cape via the Garden Route and the Karoo, respectively, we expect a huge volume of traffic that will be outbound starting from this weekend," he said.
Binqose added that traffic was expected to increase on routes such as the N9, N6 and N10 highways, which connect the Eastern Cape to northern provinces via the Free State.
"In anticipation of the huge volume of traffic, we have deployed law enforcement and response teams. They are strategically placed in all the hotspots and areas within these national routes to ensure that we prevent accidents from happening. We want to ensure that things do not get any worse than they already are now in terms of fatalities," he said.
Santaco spokesperson Mandla Hermanus said 500 vehicles would make multiple trips between the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape as people return to work and others prepare for the reopening of schools.
"Our major concern remains driver fatigue. We continue to appeal to operators, drivers and passengers to be vigilant. We urge commuters to request drivers to take short breaks when they notice that the driver might be tired or sleepy. We encourage our drivers to rest in between trips," he said.
'Number remains very high'
The RTMC's Zwane added that other districts with a high number of fatal crashes were eThekwini, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Tshwane, Capricorn, Ekurhuleni, Cape Winelands, Vhembe, and Fezile Dabi.
"Traffic is expected to peak again from 1 to 6 January, and law enforcement will intensify its focus on public transport and visibility. A dedicated team has been put in place to monitor the implementation of the road interventions and progress," said Zwane.
KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma said the province had seen a 5% decrease in road fatalities between 1 and 27 December, compared to the previous year.
A total of 192 people lost their lives during this period and 203 during the same period last year.
"We must hasten to point out that we agreed that this number remains very high. In particular, the loss of 17 lives before the crossing over to 2025 prompted us to strengthen our road safety measures," said Duma.
National Department of Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi said that national traffic police had identified 20 hotspots.
"We've seen a drop in road crashes in these hotspots and, in some cases, no road crashes [have] occurred so far. This does indicate that a scientific approach to our Road Safety Campaign is, to a very large extent, the way to go," he added.
"The biggest challenge that will need dedicated attention is the secondary roads, which require the involvement of local government authorities to ensure the visibility of policing."
Msibi said a date for releasing the total number of festive season road fatalities has yet to be set.
