The Democratic Alliance (DA) is holding the Departments of Roads and Public Works, and Transport, Safety and Liaison accountable for the carnage and road safety incidents on the Northern Cape Provincial roads during the festive season.
The National Minister for Transport, Barbara Creecy earlier this month reported an alarming increase in road fatalities in the province for December. The province also recorded the highest speedster in the country, caught travelling at 220 km/h in a 120 km/h zone.
Several serious accidents were also reported over the festive season, linked to heavy ore trucks and treacherous road conditions caused by potholes.
Over the past three financial years, the Roads Department has spent more than R44 million on pothole-related claims. In addition, millions of rands have been invested in road infrastructure projects, including the Vala Zonke project and the R500 million Sol Plaatje Infrastructure Project. Despite this spending, road conditions remain dangerous. Potholes, such as the massive hole on the Britstown road, have reappeared less than six months after being repaired, highlighting serious concerns about the quality and sustainability of road maintenance.
The traffic official recruitment debacle has further undermined road safety. The province spent R10 million to appoint only 16 trainees in January 2025, followed by a further 23 trainees in September 2025. This falls far short of the department’s commitment to appoint 64 traffic officials by January 2025, which was meant to improve driver compliance and traffic enforcement on provincial roads.
These failures collectively contribute to the high number of road fatalities and incidents during the festive period and must be urgently addressed.
The DA submitted formal questions to both MEC Fufe Makatong and MEC Limakatso Koloi. We are demanding accountability for the failures of our infrastructure and road safety interventions, and request for a detailed breakdown of provincial road fatalities, including mechanism put in place to safeguard road users in the province over the festive season.
The Northern Cape urgently needs sustainable road infrastructure projects that deliver value for money, alongside effective traffic law enforcement that genuinely protects motorists.