REIN IN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT

THE release of the Easter holiday figures by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has shown a decrease in road accidents and deaths during this time of the year.

This comes against the backdrop of the lockdown last year when interprovincial travelling was banned and most businesses were shut down during the start of the lockdown when Covid-19 hit.

In his announcement yesterday, Mbalula said there were fewer accidents this Easter period, from 193 in 2019 to 189 this year. The number of those killed on the roads also came down from 260 two years ago to 235 this year.

Accidents and deaths on the country’s large tracts of provincial and national roads come at a serious cost to the economy.

The government has not been able to contain the number of accidents that happen every day on our roads, with the Easter period recording one of the highest death rates.

Strategies have, over the years, been developed, but accidents continue to inflict damage on families and the economy. The government has in the past said road accidents cost billions of rand a year.

Mbalula said the fact that there were fewer accidents and deaths showed progress had been made.

But they should still not be happening. The state of our roads leaves a lot to be desired.

The government said a few years ago that it would need billions of rand to fix our roads.

Most have not been properly maintained and the government has been called to account on the state of affairs on the road network.

The onset of Covid-19 has derailed some projects and diverted the budgets of departments and entities. The Road Accident Fund has been in the red for many years and has a backlog of cases to process.

The figures released by the National Treasury in the Budget show that RAF claims by victims of road accidents will increase from R86.8 billion to R102.9bn over the next two years.

The government must rein in the Department of Transport and ensure that the state of our roads is improved.