From left: KZN Transport MEC Siboniso Duma with provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi during a roadblock on Thursday in Tugela toll plaza. | Supplied
Durban — With 2 745 officers supported by 808 vehicles, the KwaZulu-Natal government has vowed to reduce road fatalities by 5%.
This was announced by the provincial Transport MEC Siboniso Duma, during the launch of the province’s festive season road safety campaign in Van Reenen Pass on Thursday.
Duma said officers would be deployed to monitor roads and enforce traffic rules and will be supported by 808 vehicles. Van Reenen, a tiny town along the N3 route that borders the province with Free State province, is a high accident zone and a favourite spot for truck drivers’ blockade. Last year the province recorded 19% of road deaths which was an increase from the 17% it recorded in 2022.
Speaking at the event Duma said the launch highlighted the province's commitment to reducing road crashes and fatalities by at least five percent during 2024/25.
In addition to 2745 officers, the MEC officially opened a new satellite station which he said will ensure comprehensive coverage and visibility of law enforcement on the roads this festive season.
He said Van Reenen, as the entry point to the province, signals "alufakwa lubuya nesaphulamthetho" (zero tolerance for reckless driving).
“The people of this country will recall that earlier this year, our province was affected by heavy snow in these parts of the province, which saw people stuck on the roads for over two days. This pointed to a need to ensure that the department and traffic officers have visible footprints in these parts of the province. In addition, Van Reenen's Pass is known for having heavy traffic and a high number of accidents, particularly during seasons such as the festive season. During last year's festive season, 14 lives were lost in the vicinity of Van Reenen's pass due to road crashes,” said the MEC.
He said it was therefore important for the department to open this satellite station for a 24-hour monitoring system in this area. In the event of crashes and incidents occurring on Van Reenen's Pass, it is difficult for enforcement to reach the scene, and it will be easier for enforcement to respond from the Van Reenen Station.
He also announced that the satellite station will be manned by traffic officers redeployed from other areas. He added that eight traffic inspectors would be moved from RTI Ladysmith while two would be recalled from Midway RTI to oversee operations in Van Reenen's Pass. The officers will be paired with eight traffic trainees. In addition, over ten vehicles will be pooled from various stations to conduct operations.
“All officers deployed will have the day-to-day resources needed to carry out their work in this station. This team, complimented by RTI Ladysmith, will have 24-hour coverage, meaning an additional shift of 22:00-06:30 daily will be implemented for Van Reenen in addition to the two-shift operating system,” concluded the MEC.
Looking back to the two previous years, 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, this province recorded 201 crashes with 240 fatalities and 206 crashes with 250 fatalities respectively. This saw a 2.49% and 4.17% increases in the two periods. The province has been the second biggest contributor to road fatalities after Gauteng nationwide.
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