Pretoria - Transport Minister S'bu Ndebele has warned there will be zero tolerance for those who continue to drive at excessive speeds and disobey the rules of the road during the festive season.
"If you do not obey the rules, you will be arrested, you will be detained in police cells, you will be sentenced to a hefty fine and/or imprisonment and your driving licence will be suspended and/or cancelled.
"Should you be involved in a fatal road crash, you will face charges of murder or culpable homicide," warned the minister.
Ndebele said during peak traffic flow days, traffic enforcement will be visible, pro-active and effective.
He once again reminded South Africans that road safety was everyone's business, and not only government's responsibility. "The greatest partners in this struggle against road carnage must be those who have lost relatives and friends in road crashes."
Speaking at the National Day of Prayer for Road Safety and launch of the December 2011 Road Safety Plan, Ndebele said it was people at the peak of their careers who lost their lives in road crashes regardless of race, class or creed.
"If we do not end this national tragedy, it is clear that the tragedy may end us, putting paid to our best plans and shattering our grandest visions for our future. Road traffic deaths is a tragedy no country can least afford, it is a tragedy our country can least afford."
Ndebele said vehicle and driver conditions contributed significantly to crashes.
Over the past two months, as part of the pre-December holiday traffic law enforcement operations, 623 469 public transport vehicles were stopped and checked.
Of those, 2 207 mini-buses, 885 buses and 1 699 trucks were discontinued from use for being in an un-roadworthy condition and 93 945 fines were issued for various public transport offences.
"We still have a long way to go towards reducing offences and crashes and we do not have any reason to be complacent," Ndebele said.
Around 14 000 people die every year on the country's roads, with over 1 000 every month and 40 every day.
