Johannesburg Taxi Associations Sign Pledge To Obey Road Rules During Festive Season
- South Africans were entertained after taxi drivers and taxi associations in Johannesburg pledged that they would abide by the rules of the road
- The drivers and associations promised that passengers would be safe during the festive season after the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) launched a campaign
- Netizens commenting on social media did not believe that the taxi drivers would keep their word, and many made jokes about them
- Arrive Alive CEO Advocate Johan Jonck spoke to Briefly News about accidents and efforts made to create awareness
Source: Getty Images
For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, South Africa, covered a range of topics, including accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather, and natural disaster-related incidents, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.
JOHANNESBURG — The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) launched a campaign where taxi associations and drivers pledged that they would drive safely during the festive season. South Africans laughed and expressed scepticism.
According to SABC News, taxi drivers and associations signed the pledge at the Noord Taxi Rank in Johannesburg on 18 December 2025. SANTACO launched the campaign in response to concerns that taxi drivers are increasingly involved in fatal accidents during the festive season.
SANTACO launches safety campaign
SANTACO's Gauteng spokesperson, Sabata Mbobo, said that SANTACO will work to ensure that passengers and other motorists will be safe. He said that passengers were not allowed to drink alcohol while travelling. He said passengers are uncontrollable and tend to stop drivers in unauthorised areas for rest stops.
Taxis and fatal accidents
Taxi drivers have notoriously been at the centre of scores of fatal accidents in South Africa during festive seasons. In 10 of the most horrific accidents Briefly News reported about in 2024, four accidents involved taxi drivers. These include an accident in which 15 people were killed on the N9 in the Eastern Cape on 16 December 2024 after a taxi collided with an SUV.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy revealed on 20 January 2025 that taxis were involved in 53% of the 2024 festive season's major accidents. KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of fatalities with 304 deaths from 247 crashes.
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News speaks to expert
Briefly News spoke to Arrive Alive CEO Advocate Johan Jonck about accidents during the festive season. He said that some of the most common risky behaviours among drivers during the festive season include drunk driving and unsafe overtaking, driver tiredness, speeding and distracted driving.
South Africans don't believe taxi industry
Netizens commenting on Facebook shared their thoughts on the pledge. Many joked and believed that taxi drivers would not abide by the pledge.
Lungisani Carburator Ngubane said:
"It is better to perform well on the road rather than just talk. The real commitment will be shown by obeying traffic laws, respecting passengers, and making safety a priority every day, not only during pledges."
Rudeness K said:
"They must also address the issue of overloading passengers."
Cornelis Prins said:
"Pledge vs reality."
Kanye McKay said:
"Yeah, it's like parents signing a safety pledge on behalf of their toddlers promising that they won't be naughty over the festive season."
Motloli Motloli said:
"Like the ANC saying they will change every time during election time."
Collision leaves 2 dead in KwaZulu-Natal
In a related article, Briefly News reported that two people were killed when a vehicle and a taxi collided on the R33 in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The accident took place on 15 December between the minibus and a VW Polo.
The vehicles collided with each other in the early morning, and emergency personnel rushed to the scene. A total of 11 people were taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries.
Source: Briefly News
