GAUTENG. – The Gauteng Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane has announced a significant rise in the number of people who have died on the road this festive season, in comparison to the 200 people who died on the province’s roads in 2016.

Although Nkosi- Malobane did not reveal the exact number, she warned that drinking and driving and speeding were the main causes of accidents. “We are worried because the numbers are not decreasing‚ they are actually increasing. As we speak to you now‚ we’ve exceeded last year’s numbers of fatalities and that is why we are pleading with our people on the ground to actually start behaving‚” said Nkosi-Malobane.

The briefing took place at the Martindale Metropolitan Police Department in Johannesburg. It is reported that 59 pedestrians are among the high number of people who lost their lives on Gauteng roads since the festive season began.