More than one thousand get killed in road crashes across South Africa

(MENAFN) South Africa recorded at least 1,427 deaths in 1,172 road accidents during the 2025/26 festive season, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy announced on Thursday. This represents a 5% decrease in fatalities compared to the previous holiday period and marks the lowest number of crashes in five years, with the total deaths matching those of the 2023/24 season.

Creecy provided the update in Pretoria while presenting the Road Safety Report for the 2025 and 2026 festive season, accompanied by her deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa. She shared preliminary findings from the 2025/26 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign and overall road safety results for 2025. “Preliminary data indicates a five percent reduction in both fatalities and crashes compared to the same period last year,” she said.

Five provinces recorded fewer fatalities, with the Eastern Cape and Free State achieving the largest reductions. Conversely, Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape saw increases in road deaths. Creecy noted that most crashes and fatalities occurred between 15 and 28 December, accounting for over 40% of the season’s total. “This confirms that festive season crashes increase once travellers have reached their destinations and are engaging in festivities, rather than during peak travel periods,” she said.

The majority of incidents happened on weekends, primarily between 7pm and 9pm and again from midnight to 1am. Accidents included collisions with pedestrians, hit-and-run incidents, single-vehicle overturns, and head-on collisions. The highest number of pedestrian deaths were reported in Cape Town, Johannesburg, eThekwini, Tshwane, and Nkangala District.

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