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'Get rid of E-Tolls', 'Focus on reckless drivers' - Readers air views to new Transport Minister

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Cape Town - South Africa's new president has appointed Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Blade Nzimande as the new minister of Transport in his cabinet reshuffle earlier this week.

MasterdriveSA sys there are three areas which the country needs to focus on as a collective. The managing director of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, says the first is the festive season mortality rates on the road.

Herbert said: "Under Maswanganyi we saw a 10% drop in fatalities over the 2017/2018 festive period. While this is commendable, and a feat not seen for some time, the numbers are still very high. Approximately 38 people were dying every day.


What do you think of the new transport minister? What are the biggest issues the new minister should tackle? Email us. 


"This is higher than our own average during the rest of the year as well as higher than international averages. We need to continue on the path that was followed to achieve the reduction while also assessing what else can be done to reduce these unacceptably high rates during both the festive season and the rest of the year. MasterDrive would like to now challenge Mr Nzimande to commit to reducing the fatality rate by 25% at the end of this year." 

The second area which needs attention is ensuring there are harsh and enforceable consequences for drivers who break the law. Lastly, it is only with collaboration between all sectors of society that we can expect to see greater reductions to our road fatalities.

We asked Wheels24 readers: 'What do you think the new transport minister should focus primarily on?'

Readers respond


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