- Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has announced that 690 citizens have died on the roads this month
- Mbalula has released the preliminary festive season road safety statistics for this period
- There was a decline in the number of fatalities, but the Minister is adamant that this isn't cause for a celebration
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Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has released the preliminary festive season road safety statistics on Tuesday.
Speaking during a media briefing, Mbalulu says that a total of 690 South Africans had lost their lives during December thus far.
The Minister also noted a 5.7% decline in fatalities during the same period last year, but says that this was little cause for a celebration:
"One life lost, is one life too many."
Mbalula has confirmed nearly 700 fatalities on the road this festive season. Image: Fikile Mbalula
Source: Twitter
Mbalula has vowed that law enforcement will continue being visible along the roads as citizens travel during the holidays.
Meanwhile, Briefly.co.za reported that Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has responded to claims that he was so heavily involved in road safety campaigns for the social media clout.
Mbalula has slammed the suggestion, adamant that his department has engaged with numerous motorists on the vital topic of safety during the festive season.
The campaign was only recently launched as a measure to help limit road accidents which could put hospitals under additional strain during the pandemic.
Mbalula's timeline has been buzzing with photos from the campaign in KwaZulu-Natal, highlighting police visibility as a critical tool in limiting road deaths.
One citizen had claimed that Mbalula was just in it for the attention, to which the Minister responded:
“We are on the roads and we’ve made several stops to engage people on road safety. People die on our roads, especially during this time. We won’t do anything because uLoveable on Twitter feels some Tupperware (type of way) [sic]."
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