Let me acknowledge the presence of:
The Head of Department: Community Safety
The Provincial Director of Traffic Management: Mr. Gilbert Makhanya
Provincial Chief: Mr. Pat Curran
Invited guests

Minister Leonard Ramatlakane speaks at the opening of the N2 Traffic Centre.

Today we are intensifying our campaign to ensure safety on the roads.A dark cloud descended on the roads of our province this past weekend.

It has not been a peaceful weekend on our roads.

Eighteen people lost their lives in different accidents.

That’s not a good start to our programme of ensuring that our people enjoy a safer festive season.

From the reports I received on these accidents, it is clear that our law enforcement agencies on the roads must have no mercy with our motorists.

Our motorists refuse to rest in between their trips. Fatigue was one of the causes of the accidents when a taxi overturned outside Laingsburg and killed 5 people.

Other factors that played a part in these accidents were, alcohol, vehicle fitness and speeding.

On Saturday and Sunday- two pedestrians were killed while crossing on this (N2) highway near Khayelitsha.

I have to mention these statistics so as to remind our officers on the road that all of us, our work has been cut out.

We will have no choice but to enforce the law on the roads.

We will have no mercy. Today we are intensifying our campaign to ensure safety on the roads.

The Traffic Centre on the N2

As we kick off our Arrive Alive campaign today, I want to commend the men and women who have been stationed at this satellite operational centre.

This project here has been the most talked about success stories on road safety. Since the project started in June this year, I am told that in the last three months, there has been no criminal incident reported on this stretch of the road- the N2.

All we are told about, is the good service and assistance that that our traffic officers have been rendering to our motorists along this road.

I also want to commend and thank the communities living the informal settlements along this road.

From the day we had our public meetings and subsequent consultations with them on criminal and stone throwing incidents on the N2, they responded positively.

This is a clear demonstration that partnerships between government and communities as well as other formations, can yield positive results-like this project.

I am therefore appealing to our communities, to our civil society formations to continue working with us in ensuring that this province is a safer Home to all this festive season.

One death is too many and it is an unpleasant sight to see that one family next door to you is in tears and in mourning while the others across the street; they are in a festive mood.

Despite the disappointing start to our festive season, I am hopeful that our men and women on the roads, who will be assisted by the 120 traffic volunteers, will turn the corner and deliver a successful road safety campaign.

Last year they ensured that fatalities on the road drop by 32 % and during this year’s Easter weekend, we achieve an all time low record of a 63% decline in road fatalities.

This achievement can only be repeated if we apply a merciless approach in enforcing the law on the roads.

This year our campaign is also boosted by the return of breathalyzers, which had been withdrawn pending a court case. Now that the court has ruled that they been returned- this must strengthen our resolve to enforce the law on the roads.

Secondly, another landmark ruling in the Cape High court also strengthens our campaign- it gives traffic law enforcement agencies the powers to seize a vehicle of a motorist who repeatedly be found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol.

These developments can only make our case stronger and while I am also aware this will be opposed, it will be important for traffic law enforcement to apply the law.

From Table Mountain to the Three sisters, from the Bellville to Beaufort West, on the N2, the N7, the R300- Lansdowne road, Klipfontein Road, the M5 to Grassy Park- we will have to roll out high visibility campaigns as soon as possible.

On the N1- if our taxi drivers and bus drivers have not listened and have not made sure that their vehicles are in roadworthy conditions, we will have to do what is best to save those lives they will be transporting.

We cannot allow once again to witness horrific accidents like the ones we saw on the R61- Aberdeen road where passengers were scattered like sheep after a taxi had rolled. It was not a pleasant sight to see a mother left dazed seeing her young baby dying.

We have to make sure that these incidents do not happen.

Today we also launch this satellite operational centre- a success model through a sound partnership between our people over there in Lusaka (Nyanga) and government.

It is only through this effective partnership that we can save more lives on our roads.

To ensure a safer Home for all on our roads, we will have to act decisively against those who want to make the lives of other motorists unbearable.

We will have to pull off tired motorists and force them to rest. The accident outside Laingsburg was caused by fatigue.

Taxi drivers who boasts to of doing five trips to and from the Eastern Cape without rest (oo” siyayigoba”) - will have to be carefully monitored and strong action be taken against them. Our compulsory stops on the N1 have been doing a good job to this effect.

We will have to take strong action against buses and taxi drivers with no valid documents to ferry passengers.

Motorists who drive under the influence of alcohol must also be aware that, we will have no mercy on them too.

In conclusion, let me therefore wish the traffic officials in the city and in the province as well as our community volunteers- a merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year knowing they will not be at home during this time.

I am aware that by offering to be out on the roads this time of the year, you are doing so making a huge contribution to our province’s vision of making this province a safer Home to all its people.

Thank you the understanding and keep up the good work because the province will be looking upon you this festive season. Make our people smile on the roads, make feel welcome when you stop them at those compulsory stops.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

For all your Enquiries on Arrive Alive and Safer Festive Season contact:
Makhaya Mani
Media Liaison Officer - Ministry of Community Safety
Email: Mmanie@pgwc.gov.za
Cell: 082 780 4493

Chris Snyman
Provincial Road Safety Education
083 4419251