The Portfolio Committee on Transport has thrown its support for the proposal by Minister Barbara Creecy for a total ban of alcohol in legislation.
This after the minister last week revealed that despite a 5% reduction in several road fatalities during the 2025/26 festive season, there was an increase of people driving under the influence of alcohol.
“A total of 173 695 drivers were tested for driving under the influence of alcohol and 8 561 of these tested positive, a 144 percent increase on the same period last year.
The highest alcohol reading was recorded in KwaZulu Natal where one motorist recorded breath alcohol content fourteen times above the legal alcohol limit.
In today’s South Africa, it is totally unacceptable that there is a law that allows people to drink and then drive, that allows drivers to drink a certain amount and get behind the wheel of a car must be scrapped,” said Creecy during a media briefing in Pretoria.
The Chairperson of the Committee Donald Selamolela, said the number of deaths remained unacceptably high, particularly given the scope and intent of the 2025 Road Safety Plan and Strategy.
“The committee supports the consideration of a total ban on alcohol use on the roads.
It is clear now that decisive action is required. Otherwise, during the Easter period in three months, high fatality figures are likely to persist.
It has become clear that driving under the influence of alcohol has reached alarming levels, resulting in unnecessary loss of life.
The committee and its predecessors may not have exercised sufficient rigour in their oversight role.
The committee supports the consideration of a total ban of alcohol use by drivers,” said Selamolela.
It is currently a criminal offense to exceed the limit of 0.05g/100ml concentration of alcohol in blood or 0.24mg/1000ml breath for general drivers while stricter limits of 0.02g/100ml blood or 0.10mg/1000ml breath are in place for professional drivers.
According to Selamolela, the department must introduce the necessary legislative mechanisms with urgency.
“Liability should be placed where necessary, and transgressing drivers should face stiff sanctions, including being banned from ever having a licence to drive.
Drunk driving remains a serious and dangerous offence,” cautioned the chairperson.
Furthermore, Selamolela said there is a need to consider enhancing the SAPS’s ability to actively police driver behaviour on the roads within an appropriately revised legislative framework.
“The roads have increasingly become sites of non-compliance with traffic laws because drivers know police will look away.
That must come to an end.
Delays in acting on this matter risk further preventable loss of life on the country’s roads.
These are deaths that could have easily been avoided.
We need to reverse the perception that roads are death traps, and anyone can behave however they like,” advised Selamolela.
He reaffirmed the committee’s support for interventions that will curb the number of road deaths attributable to drunk driving.
