Festive Season Traffic: Tolls Monitored by Army and Road Works Put on Hold

• The SA National Defence Force has been mandated to monitor toll gates and toll roads during the festive season
• They are deployed to ensure road safety is upheld and that South Africa's infrastructure is protected
• The South African National Roads Agency Ltd will put most of its roadworks on hold to ensure free-flowing traffic over the festive period

PRETORIA - The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) will monitor toll gates and toll roads this festive season to ensure road safety is upheld.

Thandi Modise, the Minister of Defense, said that SANDF is mandated to make sure all South Africans are safe and that the national infrastructure is protected.

According to TimesLIVE, Modise said that the routes on which South Africa's economy relies must not be obstructed.

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Road works halted over the festive season

The South African National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) announced that all roadworks have been put on hold so as to not cause traffic delays over the festive season, IOL reports.

Sanral's network connects both international and interprovincial routes, which experience large volumes of vehicles over the festive period.

Vusi Mona, a spokesperson for Sanral, said that roadworks would resume on 10 January 2022, but some minor work may continue throughout the period.

South Africans react to traffic plans for the festive period

@TJVinny said:

"They must be crazy, what safety with these holes in the road, rivers between the roads. It cannot be safe in any way."

@endeavour_verb shared:

They say this every year. Then they report the record breaking death tolls come January."

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@DrInaGouws remarked:

"Thank you. We really risk our lives on the roads here."

@Mohodi_ZA said:

"Come on now @SANRAL_za @TrafficRTMC @MbalulaFikile. The N5 between Bethlehem and Kestell is in bad condition there used to be continual maintenance what happened? It’s festive now so the road is more busy some motorists are not even aware of the potholes there"

@WizardMist_III asked:

"Roadworks? Whats that?"

Motorists told driving licence centres will stay open for festive

Previously Briefly News reported that road users are advised that driving licence centres will continue to operate during South Africa's busy festive season. This will see those who need to renew their driving licences able to do so by accessing the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC)'s services.

The corporation operates two licensing centres at Waterfall Office Park and Eco-Origins Park in Midrand and Centurion, respectively. Motorists will have the opportunity to access the centres between 7 am to 9 pm from Monday through to Sunday.

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RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane told Briefly News that drivers whose licences expired between March last year and August this year should take urgent steps to renew their cards by or before the end of the grace period in March next year.

Source: Briefly News