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Collins Letsoalo, the acting CEO of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), addressing the portfolio committee on transport in the National Parliament, confirmed that the Western Cape leads all other provinces in road safety and in the high standard of their roads. Letsoalo also noted that the Western Cape is the only province in South Africa that has traffic police operating 24/7.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation is an agency of the national Department of Transport responsible for road safety in South Africa.

“I am delighted by this recognition from the RTMC that our hard work has paid off. I have advised CEO Letsoalo that this province is more than willing to share its knowhow with both the National Department of Transport and the other provinces. In the early days of Safely Home, we learnt a lot from the safety campaigns in KwaZulu-Natal. We all need to try harder to bring the national road death tally down. What has been achieved in the Western Cape can also be done in other provinces,” said Carlisle.

The national statistics show that road deaths of over 14 000 per year have not significantly declined since 2005.

“In the Western Cape, through the Safely Home initiative and key enforcement measures, road deaths continue to show a declining trend. The month of July recorded 96 fatalities, which is still amongst the lowest figures for any month since 2008. We are holding thumbs that the August fatalities will be less than 90,” added Carlisle.

The road maintenance backlog has been reduced by 16%, and is planned to decline by a further 27% in the next three years.

“Safely Home and the Western Cape example has definitively shown that the nationally centralised model for road safety does not work in South Africa any more than it does elsewhere in the world. What’s key now is for the powers that have been vested in the RTMC to be transferred back to the provinces that are better equipped to respond to the calls of this mandate,” added Carlisle.