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
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