Limpopo blames human error for road deaths amid Easter rush

As hundreds of thousands of pilgrims descend on Moria, Limpopo transport authorities and bus operator Putco are mounting a coordinated road-safety offensive.

However, they warn that the government can only do so much when drivers keep making fatal decisions.

The Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety and bus operator Putco held a media briefing at the Transpop monitoring centre to assess Easter traffic flow.

MEC Susani Violet Mathye, addressing reporters alongside the Head of Department and Chief Director of Traffic Services Tshiwandalani Allen Matsila, said the province remained on high alert.

30 additional vehicles were deployed on Wednesday to bolster visibility on major routes.

“I’ve been looking around. I’ve seen many, many women in khaki and blue. They are on our road, so we’re happy about the visibility,” the MEC said.

Officers were positioned at ten-kilometre intervals along all major routes, with mobile units patrolling between them and additional focus on historically hazardous areas.

Putco’s 550-bus fleet already in province

Putco confirmed it had deployed 550 buses to ferry pilgrims to and from Moria, with 95% already in Limpopo and 60% having reached Moria by the time of the briefing.

The entire fleet consists of vehicles seven years old or newer.

“The deployment is of our new generation buses. These are buses that are seven years or less under the original manufacturer maintenance plan,” the spokesperson said.

Spare buses and mechanical teams were pre-positioned along all routes.

The most common incidents recorded were minor – tyre punctures, loose mirrors and isolated battery issues – with turnaround times kept within the hour.

Putco also negotiated compulsory rest stops at petrol stations along the route.

“We make compulsory stops so that we ensure that they are safe,” the spokesperson said.

Fatigue remains the silent killer

The HOD singled out driver fatigue as a systemic threat, urging Putco to maintain rest discipline even after buses reached their destination.

“Fatigue is a problem. Fatigue is a silent killer. Fatigue is not something that you’d want your drivers to experience,” he said.

He praised Putco’s preparation as a benchmark for the industry.

“Road safety is about anticipation. You then ask yourself what is it that can go wrong and you start to put response plans, and I think this is something that Putco has done quite perfect,” the HOD said, adding that other operators would be workshopped toward the same standard.

Human behaviour driving the accidents

All three accidents recorded in the province by the time of the briefing were attributed to driver error.

The MEC was blunt: “All the three accidents that happen is because of human error, nothing mechanical.”

The HOD acknowledged the limits of government intervention.

“It’s not the laws that are going to prevent accidents. It’s the decision of that particular driver. And we believe that out of 10, nine can hear us. That tenth one is the one that is the problem,” he said.

Authorities also flagged “malicious compliance” – drivers obeying rules only when officers were visible – as a persistent pattern on Limpopo roads.

Taxi operators warned over seatbelts; unroadworthy vehicles stopped

Inspections the previous day found many taxis operating without functional seatbelts, with belts covered during seat re-upholstering.

“We are calling upon all the taxi associations to make sure that when they cover their seats, they must make sure that those belts are not covered also,” the MEC said.

At least one private vehicle was also declared unfit and its trip ended on the spot.

The minister will release official fatality figures after Easter, following verification with Saps, the RTMC, and the Department of Health.

The MEC, however, did not mince her words in the interim.

“Some of the people who are dying on our roads have decided to take a decision to overtake or to make some U-turns. Sometimes, in my own thinking, I think that we’re just committing suicide.”

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