Law enforcement ramps up ahead of Christmas and New Year's Eve The Gauteng Provincial Government will ramp up law enforcement presence on all of the major routes in the province as the festive season gains momentum. This as traffic volumes on major routes begins to heighten ahead of Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. “In the first 21 days of December, 137 people have died from 124 crashes in the province. Most of the people who died are pedestrians (68), while 26 are drivers and 28 are passengers. Johannesburg has recorded more deaths at 38, followed by Tshwane with 33 and Ekurhuleni reporting 26 fatalities in the same period. “To curb the alarming rate of fatalities, the province has increased deployment of law enforcement operations targeting public transport operators such as taxis and buses,” the Gauteng Department of Community Safety said in a statement. The department noted that public transport operators often “overload vehicles deliberately which endangers the lives of passengers and other road users”. “Overloading is a criminal offence, as it can cause fatal road crashes, especially during long distance travel around the festive period. “The Gauteng Department of Community Safety as well as the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport are collaborating to ensure the implementation of the road safety strategy in the province. “The provincial government has encouraged public transport operators to prioritise road safety and ensure compliance, as the province is expecting high traffic volume due to people leaving to spend the festive season with their families and travelling to various holiday destinations,” the department said. Heavy traffic flows are expected on the following major routes: N1: Pretoria to Polokwane N4: Pretoria to Mpumalanga N4: Pretoria to Rustenburg R573: Pretoria to Mpumalanga N12: Johannesburg to Mpumalanga N3: Johannesburg to Durban N1: Johannesburg to Bloemfontein N12: Johannesburg to Potchefstroom Roadblocks are already being conducted on routes, resulting in more than 44 000 fines being issued, some 1 200 suspects arrested for various traffic violations and the arrest of 28 pedestrians. “The Gauteng Traffic Police together with other law enforcement agencies will deal decisively with any public transport operators or motorists who undermine road safety. “The operations will continue throughout the festive period and beyond to ensure safe travel on the road,” the statement concluded. – SAnews.gov.za NeoB Wed, 12/24/2025 - 09:00 25 views