Deputy transport minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa pays tribute to 69 slain traffic officers

Marking the annual World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims, deputy transport minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa on Sunday paid tribute to 69 South African traffic officers who died in the line of duty.

The day, observed globally in accordance with the UN, was marked with a wreath-laying ceremony to honour those who gave their lives while serving to ensure road safety.

Of the 69 officers, 28 came from Gauteng, 13 from KwaZulu-Natal, nine from Mpumalanga, seven each from the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, two from the national traffic police and one each from the Free State, Northern Cape and the Western Cape.

Last year, South Africa recorded 11,883 road deaths, a 4.4% drop from 2022.

“These [deaths] are not just statistics, they are real people, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues,” Hlengwa said.

“Behind every number is a person with dreams, aspirations and loved ones whose world is forever altered.

“Over the medium-term, greater focus will be put on road safety education and engineering and law enforcement. Evaluation mechanisms will be put in place to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of our programmes. The revised target is to reduce road fatalities by 5% for the 2024/2025 financial year.

“We have decided to review our national road safety strategy to accelerate the reduction in fatalities so we may achieve the target sooner rather than later,” Hlengwa said. 

He underscored the importance of collective efforts in road safety, urging the public, government agencies and law enforcement agencies to unite in their drive to prevent road deaths.

“We stand together in the hope that our collective efforts can help prevent future tragedies. We remember every life is precious and every loss is felt deeply in families and communities..

“We remain concerned about the high consumption of alcohol which results in drinking and driving, [while] 45% of our fatalities are pedestrians and the link goes to the high consumption of alcohol,” Hlengwa said.

The road safety awareness campaign is expected to be launched on December 5.

TimesLIVE