Ladysmith KZN: Quiet Easter for Ladysmith, 47 die in rest of KZN

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety & Liaison Ms Neliswa Peggy Nkonyeni has warned motorists that law enforcement authorities will continue to adopt a ‘hard line’ to enforce safety on the roads in order to reduce road fatalities. There were 47 deaths over the Easter long weekend in KZN.

For Ladysmith, it was a quiet Easter weekend on the roads, with no fatalities being reported in the area and no major crashes. It is believed that four people were arrested in town on Saturday night (April 3) for drunk driving.

Preliminary road accident reports reveal that 37 crashes resulting in 47 fatalities were reported in various parts of the province from April 1 to 4, compared to five crashes resulting in six fatalities recorded in the same period in 2020 when the country was under level 5 Covid-19 nationwide lockdown.

During the same period in 2019, a total of 31 crashes in KZN resulted in 40 fatalities. Traffic volumes began to peak as holiday-makers travelled back to their respective destinations. MEC Nkonyeni said empirical evidence shows that most accidents on the road are as a result of human behaviour such as speeding, overloading and driving under the influence of alcohol.

“Road fatalities are a major concern to the provincial government; however, it takes each individual to play their part in curbing the high rate of accidents that occur each year on our roads. No matter how many law enforcement officers we may deploy, we can never be able to police every aspect of motorists’ behaviour, so this calls for us to individually take responsibility for our actions when we get behind the steering wheel.

We wish to express our deepest condolences to the families of the 47 people who lost their lives in these horrific accidents. We also wish those fighting for their lives in hospital a speedy recovery,” said MEC Nkonyeni.

Law enforcement officers stopped 14,739 vehicles at multi-disciplinary roadblocks and other operations throughout the province. 

This resulted in 1345 written charges being issued, a total of 111 motorists arrested for drunken driving, 324 motorists charged for speeding, while 111 vehicles were suspended and 48 vehicles impounded.

Furthermore, a total of 356 motorists were charged for various offences that include driving without a driver’s licence, driving an unlicensed vehicle, inconsiderate driving and failure to wear a seat belt while driving.

MEC Nkonyeni also appealed to pedestrians to avoid jaywalking on highways and reiterated that ensuring safety on roads in KwaZulu-Natal is a shared responsibility. “Integrated roadblocks will continue throughout the province, targeting all degrees of crime, including vehicles that are not roadworthy, overloading, drinking and driving, illegal drugs and other violations,” added MEC Nkonyeni.

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