MEC must explain high death toll

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo says they are saddened by the fact that the Limpopo Province recorded the highest increase of road fatalities during the festive season with 31%, increasing from 186 fatalities in 2015 to 244 in 2016.

“Limpopo has further, together with KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, contributed to a 61% increase in the total number of people who died on the roads during the festive season,” states the DA in a press release.

According to the DA, the department of transport is running out of ideas on how to curb the carnage. “A new approach is needed to save the lives of road users. Roads such as the R37, R81, N1 and R101 have become high-accident zones, despite announcements by the department to increase the number of traffic officers during this period,” says the DA.

In light of the increase in road fatalities, the DA says that they will write to the Portfolio Committee on Transport to summon MEC Nandi Ndalani to provide a detailed account of the department’s resources and to determine whether their current plan is effective and efficient enough to stem the devastating tide of deaths on our roads before the exodus to Moria over the Easter weekend.

In the meantime, the DA extends their deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of every person who tragically lost their life on the roads over the past month.

News - Date: 20 January 2017

Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

Email: [email protected]