By Thapelo Molefe
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) says it has intensified its road safety interventions in Gauteng as part of a wider national campaign, starting with new breathalyser systems linked to taxi ignitions to prevent vehicles from operating if drivers test positive for alcohol.
“The action is immediate; if the driver fails the breathalyser, the vehicle does not start,” Santaco president Abner Tsebe said on Thursday, as the Department of Transport released the annual festive season road traffic report. The system was being prioritised ahead of peak travel periods, he said.
Tsebe said the taxi industry rolled out an intensified Hlokomela road safety and customer service campaign from 30 November 2025, targeting taxi ranks and long-distance operations where risk is highest.
“We realised that trouble starts at the ranks, so that is where we are focusing our interventions,” Tsebe said, adding that fatigue, speeding and alcohol use remain key risk factors in serious taxi crashes.
In Gauteng, Tsebe said Santaco has focused on stricter monitoring of driver behaviour, compulsory use of relief drivers on long-distance routes, and increased collaboration with law enforcement at taxi ranks and departure points. The industry was moving decisively to address non-compliance, he said.
“The life of our customers is very important, and we cannot allow drivers to drive long distances while tired or under the influence,” he said.
Santaco also said it is developing a national database to register taxi patrollers, often implicated in violence and intimidation, with the aim of improving accountability. Tsebe said this would help distinguish legitimate operators from criminal elements.
“We do not want criminality hiding behind the name of the taxi industry,” he said.
Gauteng remains one of the provinces under pressure following the release of the 2025/26 festive season road safety report, with the province recording an increase in fatalities despite a national decline in crashes and deaths.
The Department of Transport said at a press briefing on Thursday that Gauteng was among four provinces, alongside the Western Cape, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape, that saw a rise in festive-season road fatalities.
“The number of deaths caused by road accidents is, in my view, a reason for national shame,” Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said at the briefing.
The province continues to face challenges linked to high traffic volumes, pedestrian fatalities and alcohol-related incidents, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas.
Creecy noted that pedestrian deaths remain a major contributor to Gauteng’s road trauma, with many fatal incidents occurring on freeways and arterial routes, often at night.
“These crashes are not happening on our national highways during peak travel times, but on back routes, in the evenings, and they involve private vehicles and pedestrians,” she said.
Provincial investigations have shown that pedestrians crossing highways to access taverns and social venues, sometimes while intoxicated, are particularly at risk.
Gauteng MEC for Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela said the province had experienced several devastating crashes involving groups of people dying together, including families and young adults returning from social gatherings.
“What we are seeing in Gauteng is people dying in groups — families wiped out, young people coming back from parties and losing their lives,” she said.
Diale-Tlabela said the provincial government was working closely with municipalities, law enforcement and the Department of Social Development to address pedestrian safety, homelessness near freeways and unsafe public transport practices.
“This is not just a transport issue; it is a social issue that requires all departments to work together,” she added.
While Santaco acknowledged that taxis can be involved in severe crashes due to passenger volumes, national data shows that private vehicles remain responsible for the majority of festive-season accidents.
Provincial and industry leaders agree that sustained enforcement, behavioural change and cooperation between government and transport operators will be critical if Gauteng is to reverse its rising road death trend.
Diale-Tlabela said the province had committed to a year-round campaign, warning that “road safety does not end after the festive season, it is a 365-day responsibility”.
INSIDE METROS
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