Transport Ministry reveals 11 people were killed due to poorly maintained road infrastructure during Easter
Minister Barbara Creecy and her deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, briefed the media in Pretoria on Tuesday, detailing how heightened law enforcement visibility, strategic roadblocks and public awareness campaigns impacted road safety over the four-day period.
Creecy says this has contributed to a drop in the death toll from 307 last year to 167 this year.
Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape each recorded 28 deaths, while KwaZulu-Natal followed closely with 27, making up the highest provincial tallies.
ALSO READ: Transport Dept set to release Easter road stats
In total, 141 lives were lost on South African roads this Easter, marking a 32.5% drop compared to last year.
Of those, 11 deaths or 8.5% were directly linked to environmental factors such as potholes, malfunctioning traffic lights, and damaged or non-existent pedestrian bridges.
Still, the Transport Ministry says while infrastructure failings must be addressed, driver error remains the single biggest contributor to road deaths.
'The issue we want to hammer home is the driver behaviour, which is the primary cause of fatalities.'
Meanwhile, national traffic operations remain in full swing as authorities work to curb future fatalities.
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