The Portfolio Committee on Transport has expressed its support for a total ban on alcohol use by drivers on South African roads, following the alarming number of fatalities recorded during the 2025/26 festive season.

This comes after Minister of Transport,  Barbara Creecy, announced last Thursday that while there was a 5% reduction in fatalities compared to the previous year, the total number of deaths remained unacceptably high at 1,427.

In light of the devastating statistics, the committee highlighted the urgent need for decisive action.

Chairperson of the committee, Donald Selamolela, stated that the figures remained troubling, particularly considering the scope and intent of the 2025 Road Safety Plan and Strategy.

“It is clear now that decisive action is required. Otherwise, during the Easter period in three months, high fatality figures are likely to persist,” he said.

Selamolela emphasised that drunk driving had reached “alarming levels,” leading to unnecessary loss of life.

He acknowledged that previous oversight efforts by the committee and its predecessors may not have been rigorous enough.

“The committee supports the consideration of a total ban on alcohol use on the roads,” he added.

The committee chairperson further called on the Department of Transport to take swift action in introducing the necessary legislative mechanisms to implement such a ban.

He also suggested that offenders should face severe sanctions, including the possibility of being permanently banned from obtaining a driver’s licence.

“Drunk driving remains a serious and dangerous offence,” Selamolela said. 

He also highlighted the need for increased policing to ensure greater compliance with traffic laws.

According to Selamolela, there is a growing perception among drivers that they can flout the rules without facing consequences, due to insufficient enforcement.

“The roads have increasingly become sites of non-compliance with traffic laws because drivers know police will look away. That must come to an end,” he said.

He stressed the urgency of the matter, warning that delays in addressing the issue could result in further preventable deaths.

“Delays in acting on this matter risk further preventable loss of life on the country’s roads. These are deaths that could have easily been avoided. We need to reverse the perception that roads are death traps, and anyone can behave however they like,” Selamolela said. 

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za 

IOL Politics 

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