Gauteng Sends a Firm Message Ahead of Holidays: “Break the law, and you will be stopped”

Officials warn drivers as 5.5 million vehicles hit the road, with pedestrians still paying the highest price

It’s December in Gauteng, the season of packed taxis, boots filled with luggage, highways humming from sunrise to long after the sun goes down. But festive cheer also brings heartbreak. Year after year, families wait for loved ones who never make it home.

This time, provincial authorities are drawing a line in the tar.

Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela stood along Winnie Mandela Drive near Diepsloot on Thursday and didn’t sugarcoat the message as she launched the 2025 Gauteng Festive Season Road Safety Campaign:

“If you break the law, you will be stopped.”

Joined by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and Premier Panyaza Lesufi, the MEC kicked off the campaign under the theme “E Thoma Ka Wena It Starts With You”, a reminder that road safety isn’t just a government slogan; it’s a responsibility shared from driver to pedestrian, minibus to motorbike.

[IN PICTURES] Launch of the 2025 Gauteng Festive Season Road Safety Campaign by National Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, Premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela.

The MEC has called for heightened vigilance, and responsible behaviour on the roads. pic.twitter.com/VCfBycGaoJ

GP Roads and Transport (@GPDRT_) December 4, 2025

A province in motion and at risk

Gauteng now has 5.5 million registered vehicles, a number that grows as fast as the province itself. More cars mean more congestion, more road-rage moments, more taxi squeezes and more crashes.

Diale-Tlabela put it bluntly:

“Behind every fatal crash is a family in pain.”

And the pain is felt most sharply on footpaths and roadside shoulders. More than half of Gauteng’s road deaths involve pedestrians, a statistic that surges every festive season as people walk home from parties, work late shifts, or cross busy roads in holiday traffic.

“It’s not just a number it’s a crisis,” she said.

Anyone who’s driven through Baragwanath at dusk or waited at Noord Taxi Rank in December knows what she means. Street traders, commuters, children weaving between minibuses a single careless moment is all it takes.

Weather is adding danger and officials know it

With heavy rains battering parts of the province recently, several roads are damaged, visibility drops quickly after sunset, and potholes turn into hidden craters.

Drivers planning long trips were advised to stick to daytime travel and slow down on wet roads.

We all know that December storm, clouds rolling in at 4pm, lightning cracking somewhere near Midrand, wipers working overtime. In those conditions, speed and fatigue can kill.

What to expect on the roads this holiday

Law enforcement won’t just be watching they’ll be everywhere.

Expect roadblocks, breathalysers, and officers checking licences, tyres and even seatbelt use. The crackdown will target:

• Drunk driving

• Speeding

• Reckless and negligent driving

• Unroadworthy vehicles

• Overloading

• Pedestrian violations

Public transport inspections will run throughout the season, with response teams on standby for storm-related road hazards.

In short, no one is getting a free pass.

Public reaction: A mix of relief, anxiety and “we’ve heard this before”

Scrolling through community Facebook groups and X feeds, the response is split.

👍 Some residents welcome the strict approach, tired of seeing reckless drivers fly past stop streets.
😐 Others worry enforcement fades after New Year, calling for long-term commitment, not just festive season pressure.
👎 And of course, a few joke that potholes are doing more policing than traffic officers sadly, not entirely wrong.

Still, there’s hope in the air, that maybe this year, fewer families will answer late-night calls no one wants to receive.

The message is loud and clear:

“If you break the law, you will be stopped. Checked. Held accountable.”

It’s not about fines; it’s about lives. The province wants December joy not January mourning.

As we head into the season of road trips, reunions and taxis streaming toward Limpopo and KZN, the call is simple:

E Thoma Ka Wena, It Starts With You.

Wear a seatbelt. Put your phone down. Slow down. And for pedestrians: cross where it’s safe, even if it means a few extra steps.

Because arriving late is better than not arriving at all.