​Staff Writer 
As the festive season approaches, the Department of Transport, in tandem with provincial and municipal traffic departments, is mobilising an extensive and collaborative effort to bolster road safety across the country.
This initiative involves key transport agencies such as the Road Traffic Management Corporation, the Road Traffic Infringement Agency, the Cross-Border Road Traffic Agency, and the South African Police Service. 
Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga shared these preparations during the launch of the 2023/24 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign in Tsakane, Ekurhuleni, on Sunday. The minister was joined by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC for Transport and Logistics, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela. 
Minister Chikunga emphasised a proactive approach: "Over this period, we are deploying personnel and technologies across the country, especially in high-risk accident-prone areas, to prevent incidents and accidents by ensuring all road users interact safely with the road. The different traffic entities and the police, our enforcers present here today, are ready to ensure safety on our roads."
This collaborative effort signifies a unified front, bringing together various stakeholders to enhance road safety during the holiday season. The involvement of the Road Traffic Management Corporation, the Road Traffic Infringement Agency, the Cross-Border Road Traffic Agency, and the South African Police Service underscores the commitment to a multifaceted strategy in creating safer roadways for all.
Minister Chikunga further highlighted the collaborative efforts with law enforcement officers and various sectors, including the interfaith community, private sector partners, non-governmental organisations, and committed motorists, to inspire and guide law enforcers in protecting and serving travelling communities across the country during the holiday season.
Road safety practitioners will conduct awareness campaigns at malls, train stations, taxi ranks, and petrol stations to engage with the public actively.
"Our road safety practitioners have also been mobilised and ready to go out to the malls, train stations, taxi ranks and petrol stations to do road safety education and awareness in collaboration with private sector partners and other departments such as the Department of Health, emergency services, Home Affairs and others," she said.
The minister said this year's festive season is inspired by the achievement recorded last year, which saw a 7% decrease in road traffic crashes and a reduction in fatalities. 
However, she emphasised that the goal remains to halve these numbers by 2030, in line with the global target set by the United Nations.
As a result, the ministry will intensify efforts and interventions, focusing mainly on the five provinces—Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga—that contribute to over 80% of road crashes and fatalities.
"Our interventions will be based on a six-point strategy guiding all provinces' operations this year. The strategy calls for interventions for pedestrian safety, vehicle roadworthiness, public transport overloading, drunken driving, speeding and execution of warrants."
Special instructions have also been issued for all provincial authorities to conduct public transport inspections and keep weighbridges open while ensuring height and load compliance.
These operations will be conducted from Thursday to Monday, with corridor operations linking provinces that share borders during peak travel periods.
The ministry remains steadfast in its commitment to enhancing road safety and urges all road users to play their part and obey the road rules.