Roads in the Northern Cape under pressure

Roads in the Northern Cape are set to become more hazardous, as budget cuts make it harder to police dangerous driving.

The Northern Cape’s budget for Transport Regulation will be reduced by 8% in the coming year.

In the 2026 financial year, R136.7 million was allocated to this budget, with the amount for the next year totalling approximately R125.7 million.

In the last festive season, which ran from December 2025 into January 2026, the Northern Cape was one of the few provinces where road fatalities increased.

During this period, the number of road fatalities in South Africa decreased by 5% compared to the same period one year ago.

The Department of Transport in the Northern Cape has acknowledged the rise in fatalities with plans to increase road safety initiatives.

These initiatives include increased speed traps and police roadblocks, as well as weighing trucks to identify overloaded vehicles. 

Overloaded trucks contribute significantly to poor road conditions, including potholes, which are a hazard for drivers.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) noted that the increase in road safety initiatives runs counter to the department’s budget cuts.

“The increased targets are set in an environment of decreasing resource allocations, human resource challenges, and outdated infrastructure,” the party said.

Currently, the province only has one functioning weighbridge, where large vehicles are checked to ensure they are not overloaded.

Plans are to increase the number of these stations, but the weighbridges will only be operational in December.

The plans to increase road safety are vital in South Africa, where roughly 80% of vehicle-related deaths are due to human error, including speeding and drunk driving.

South Africa faces a particular challenge with drunk driving, which is a leading cause of vehicle-related deaths.

Roughly 58% of all deaths on the country’s roads involve drunk driving, one of the highest percentages in the world.

Globally, the percentage of road deaths linked to drunk driving is roughly 20%, with countries such as Sweden and Germany being the safest places to drive.

The DA said the roads in the Northern Cape are particularly dangerous and getting worse over time.

“Our roads are becoming increasingly dangerous, and targets do not save lives – resources do,” the party said.

The lack of infrastructure in the province, along with decreased budget allocations for road safety, makes it difficult to believe that the government can effectively combat these problems.

The DA said the Department of Transport needs to invest in stronger policing and awareness programmes to ensure road safety in the Northern Cape.