The government will introduce an amendment to set the alcohol limit at 0%, effectively meaning zero tolerance for drinking and driving.
Picture: iStock
During his address at the Frank Dialogue on The State of Transformation of the Transport Industry, the Deputy Minister of Transport announced that the government will be introducing an amendment to a 0% limit on alcohol, which effectively means zero tolerance for drinking alcohol and driving.
Meanwhile, Professor Mfanelo Ntsobi, the chairperson of the Gautrain Management Agency Board, spoke on challenges in the minibus industry and road safety.
The reality of road fatalities
The conference was held at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton on 28 August 2026, where guests gathered to discuss issues across all modes of transportation, ways to reduce road fatalities, and possible solutions to combat the sector’s challenges.
Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa said that road fatalities and crashes are costing the economy an estimated R266 billion per year.
“We are making progress in the reduction of fatalities; in 2025 we recorded a 6.2% reduction compared to 2024,” Hlengwa noted.
“And in 2026, we are currently down by around 9%.”
“But these are human lives, these are families that are affected by 11 400 lives that have been lost on South African roads in 2026,” he emphasised.
An attempt to improve road safety
Hlengwa suggested defensive driving for scholar transporters and announced that the government would introduce an amendment with a 0% alcohol limit, which effectively means zero tolerance for drinking alcohol and driving.
In an effort to reduce road fatalities by 50% by the year 2030, Hlengwa said the government has set the goal of moving 250 million tonnes of freight on the Transnet network.
While looking to transport 600 million passengers on the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) network by 2030, he said this goal aims to reduce road fatalities by 45% by the year 2029.
Adding that these targets are consistent with the United Nations’ election to reduce road fatalities.
The one ticketing system
Hlengwa explained that the government’s focus is to make a meaningful contribution to development, growth, operation and the country’s economic development.
“When we speak about integration, it’s to ensure that the people are able to access any mode of transport, and that is why we are introducing the one ticketing system across the board of transport,” the minister said.
He said this will bring together the transport grant and the taxi recapitalisation, among others.
Improvements
Noting improvements along the Port of Durban, Hlengwa said substantial businesses have been built at the ports of Cape Town and Richards Bay as well, to improve efficiencies.
“Sanral continues with an expansion programme of our national roads with R31 billion made available towards that, and it is important that we also take up provincial roads into the Sanral network.”
Hlengwa concluded his speech by reiterating that integration is critical because people want to save money while ensuring they can travel safely to where they need to be.
Consequences of a broken transport system
Gautrain Management Chairperson Mfanelo Ntsobi said transport and energy can become powerful instruments for economic growth, industrialisation, transformation and social inclusion across South Africa.
“When our transport system works, our economy works,” he explained.
“When it does not work, the consequences are felt far beyond the transport sector,” Ntsobi said.
Fragmentation
He explained that one of the greatest challenges confronting the South African transport system is fragmentation.
“We have different spheres of government, different transport authorities, different operators and different modes, yet the passenger experiences one journey,” Ntsobi continued.
He said that a commuter does not experience what’s happening in departments and institutional markets.
“The commuter simply wants to leave home in the morning and arrive at work safely, affordably and on time,” Ntsobi said.
He reiterated the importance of an integrated transport system and said rail, in particular, must play an increasingly important role as a high-capacity backbone of the public transport sector.
‘Genuine co-creation’
“Millions of South Africans rely on taxis every day,” Ntsobi stressed.
“Therefore, the future cannot be about designing transport around the taxi industry, but it must be about designing our future transport system, with the taxi industry.” He emphasised.
“That is genuine co-creation,” he said.
Ntsobi expressed that with the advancement of technology, there is an opportunity to change the transport model to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI), satellite monitoring, drone technology and ground sensors, to allow infrastructure authorities to identify structural risks before road failure.
“Digital transformation must also change how citizens experience transport,” he said.
The reality of taxi drivers
Ntsobi emphasised that taxi drivers should not have to lose out on an entire day’s worth of income, simply because they need to renew a licence or access government service.
“Smart licensing centres, digital platforms or metric systems automate services, and cashless transactions can reduce waiting time,” he explained.
“They can improve integrity and make public services more accessible.” Ntsobi elaborated.
‘It starts with you’
He explained that there are questions that require transport engineers, energy specialists, municipalities, government, universities, research institutions and the industry to sit at the same table.
“We cannot discuss mobility without discussing human life,” Ntsobi said.
“Road safety remains one of South Africa’s most serious transport challenges,” he noted.
“It starts with you,” Ntsobi emphasised.
Partnerships and collaboration
Although the government has a responsibility to provide safer roads, road users also have the responsibility to practice safety.
“Every journey must ultimately end with somebody arriving home safely,” Ntsobi said.
He said that commuters do not distinguish between a municipal pothole and a provincial pothole, adding that the transport challenges facing South Africa are too large and too interconnected for any institution to solve on its own.
“We need partnerships, innovation, investment and most importantly, execution,” he stressed.
