As the festive season reaches its midpoint, concerns around road and beach safety remain in sharp focus across the Eastern Cape, even as authorities report a relatively stable start to the holiday period. Eastern Cape transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the department was cautiously encouraged by the absence of major road fatalities so far this season. “The first 15 days have been fairly good compared to last year,” Binqose said.
“We haven’t had serious crashes. We hope it can remain this way.” According to Binqose, the department has deployed more than 300 traffic officers across the province, drawn from provincial structures, national departments and local municipalities. While a number of crashes have been recorded, he said none had resulted in multiple fatalities.
The department has, however, identified several routes that remain of particular concern during the busy travel period. “There are roads that are of specific concern to us. These are roads such as the N2 that connect us to other provinces.
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“Besides the N2, the R61 road connecting us with KZN is of serious concern to us,” Binqose said. “Interprovincially, we are looking at the N2 from Gqeberha to Mthatha. “This is a route that has been of serious concern recently.” We are quite pleased by the number of arrests as a sign of visible and effective law enforcement.
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