In a move aimed at addressing the alarming rate of road fatalities in Gauteng, MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, yesterday launched the Provincial Festive Season Road Safety campaign at the Olievenhoutbosch Taxi Rank.
The campaign is expected to complement the national road safety campaign, which was launched under the theme “Every Day Without a Road Death- South Africa 2024”.
Diale-Tlabela said Gauteng will focus on pedestrians and jaywalkers, who are increasingly contributing to road accident statistics.
She stressed that road safety is a shared responsibility, not just for drivers, but also for passengers and pedestrians.
“Our challenge is pedestrians at night, drunk in dark colours and involved in most of the accidents. We are told by the law-enforcement agencies that they happen around the places of entertainment such as your taverns in townships, your shebeens, and other establishments,” she said.
She urged motorists to refrain from bribery and encouraged law enforcement to do their job without accepting bribes.
“We are also saying to the motorists, let's not give out tjotjo (bribe) and our police are aware for the sake of other lives. Bribery has destroyed a lot of lives and we request people,” she said.
She warned law-enforcement officers to desist from asking for a bribe, saying: “They get paid. There is no need for tjotjo because that tjotjo can destroy your children’s lives. They lose their pensions, by the way, when they get caught.”
Diale-Tlabela also talked about the importance of maintaining the road infrastructure to ensure safer roads.
She said her department is working closely with the City of Tshwane to address pothole maintenance issues, also urging the public to use the PotholeFixGP app to report potholes.
Spokesperson for Santaco in Tshwane, MacDonald Makata, appealed to commuters and pedestrians to prioritise road safety, especially given the alarming rise in pedestrian fatalities compared to road accidents.
He emphasised the importance of pedestrians wearing visible clothing at night to reduce the risk of accidents.
He said Santaco's efforts align with the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport initiatives to promote road safety and that the organisation is committed to ensuring that commuters travel safely and arrive at their destinations without incident.
“We are here in support of the Department of Roads and Transport in Gauteng to see to it that we conscientise our commuters, and most especially with regard to fatalities of pedestrians that have been so high lately as compared to road accidents,” he said.
Pretoria News
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