Over 1,000 killed in festive season road crashes in South Africa

The figures mark a 5% drop from last year, Pretoria’s transport minister has said

At least 1,427 people died in 1,172 road crashes across South Africa during the 2025/26 festive season, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy announced on Thursday.

This represents a 5% reduction in road fatalities compared to the previous festive season. She said the figures mark the lowest number of crashes in five years and the same number of fatalities as in the 2023/24 festive season.