Minister Nzimande was speaking in Modimolle, Limpopo at the launch of the Festive Season Road Safety campaign on Sunday.

Nzimande called on motorists and the general public to respect traffic officers, adding that they are here to save lives.

“Some of our traffic officers are killed by motorists who refuse to stop or to be arrested for breaking the law,” Nzimande said.

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He also called on traffic officers to be merciless on those who break or disregard the law.

According to Nzimande, some of the road accidents are caused by old cars. “We don’t want old cars on our roads, these old cars are killing our people,” he said.

Minister Nzimande used the occasion to encourage road accident victims to visit their nearest Road Accident offices to lodge or enquire about their claims.

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Since the festive season is approaching, Minister Nzimande called on motorists who will be driving long distances to rest every two hours.

“As a government, we are trying to make our roads safer,” Nzimande said.

With regard to traffic fines, Nzimande urged motorists to pay their fines as the government needs the money to improve the roads.