The death toll on South Africa’s roads over the holiday season has reached 965, the Department of Transport said on Wednesday.
Spokesperson Collen Msibi said 411 of the casualties were pedestrians and 88 were children under 14.
In a statement headed: ”Government does its road safety bit — What about you?”, Msibi said that although ”shocking”, the figure was down from the 1 140 deaths over the same period last year.
Most fatalities were in KwaZulu-Natal with 183 deaths, followed by Gauteng with 162, the Eastern Cape 115, Mpumalanga 110, the Western Cape 104, Limpopo 91, North West 87, the Free State 79, and the Northern Cape 34.
Meanwhile, Metro police in Johannesburg have arrested 230 drunken drivers at various roadblocks since the start of the festive season.
Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said more roadblocks were being planned for the coming weekend when revellers will be celebrating the New Year.
”There should not be more than two cans of beer or two glasses of wine or one double tot of spirit liquor consumed every two hours,” he said.
Motorists who are found driving under the influence could face a fine of R120 000 or six years in prison. They could also have their drivers licence suspended. – Sapa