Creecy pushes for total ban on drinking before driving

By Thapelo Molefe

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy is pushing for a total ban on drinking before driving, saying government wants a zero-tolerance alcohol limit on South Africa’s roads after more than 1,400 people died during the 2025/26 festive season.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, she announced plans to amend Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act to remove the current legal allowance for limited alcohol consumption before driving, effectively banning drinking and driving altogether.

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Creecy said the move was driven by evidence that alcohol remains a major contributor to deadly crashes, with the department’s preliminary festive-season report showing that law enforcement tested more than 173,000 drivers for alcohol and arrested 8,561 motorists for drunken driving — a 144% increase in alcohol-related arrests compared with the previous year.

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