The Automobile Association (AA) yesterday urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to make a strong appointment to the post of minister of transport.

This after the election of current Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula as secretary-general of the ANC.

“A new appointment in the important transport portfolio is inevitable as Mbalula takes on his new role within the ruling party. We urge Ramaphosa and his advisers to appoint a strong leader in this position, capable of prioritising the needs of citizens, who desperately require safe, affordable, efficient and reliable transport solutions and infrastructure.”

The association wants road safety in South Africa to be prioritised urgently.

It said this will require immediate implementation of the Traffic Law Enforcement Review Committee recommendations of 2019 which, among others, call for the doubling of the current number of traffic law enforcers on the country’s roads, focus on the immediate implementation of safer vehicle standards, and for road offences to be prioritised.