235 people killed during Easter holiday in South Africa

By Xinhua/News Agency of Nigeria

South Africa recorded 235 deaths on its roads during the Easter holiday, figures released by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Thursday showed.

“According to the preliminary figures, 189 crashes were recorded, resulting in 235 fatalities nationwide,” said the minister.

Compared with 2019, “the number of crashes has been reduced by 2.1 percent while fatalities have been reduced by 9.6 percent. This is despite the growth in population size and the vehicle population,” he said.

“Our relative success can be attributed to early preparation with education and awareness campaigns in communities, increased visibility of law enforcement officers, stakeholder involvement and a high-profile media campaign,” he added.

Mbalula cited several factors as contributors to the road fatalities.

“The carnage we continue to experience on our roads is influenced by a number of factors mostly embedded in human behavior, vehicle factors and environment on road factors,” he said.

Mbalula said it was disturbing that 35 percent of road victims were pedestrians.

Walking while drunk, crossing in freeways and jaywalking played a role in the killing of pedestrians.