CAPE TOWN, April 24 (Xinhua) -- South Africa recorded 104 road fatalities during the Easter holiday, a drop of 41 percent compared with the same period last year, Transport Minister Blade Nzimande said on Wednesday.
During the Easter holiday which lasted from April 18 to April 21, there were 80 crashes where deaths occurred, a decrease of 40 percent as compared with the same period in 2018, Nzimande said.
He attributed the decline to the commitment and cooperation by road users who heeded to the government's call to obey the rules of the road during the holiday.
He said local governments, volunteers, the civil society, including faith-based organizations, and business partnered with the Department of Transport in the roll-out of a drive-safely campaign.
"Their resilience and combat readiness fortified our determination to steadfastly roll-out our road safety programs, focusing on drunk driving, road safety education and awareness," said Nzimande.
A high decrease on absolute figures was recorded for KwaZulu-Natal Province with 13 fatal crashes, followed by Gauteng with 11 fatal crashes, the minister said.
"The above shows that with determination, observance of the basic rules of road safety, and co-operation between government and road users, we can indeed defeat the scourge of road crashes," he said.
Road carnage is a daily phenomenon, particularly during holidays in South Africa, which is among the countries that have the highest road facilities.
The country has about 700,000 crashes a year on average.
The festive holidays usually have the highest rate of road deaths, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation.
