By Zororai Nkomo
South Africa is considering introducing a strict zero blood-alcohol limit for motorists as the government intensifies efforts to curb drunk driving and reduce the country’s high road death toll.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said the government was pursuing amendments to Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act, with the aim of securing Cabinet approval for the changes by the end of 2026.
The proposed changes come amid continued concern over alcohol-related crashes. More than 18,000 motorists were arrested for drunken driving between March and the end of August, accounting for about a third of all traffic arrests during that period.
Speaking at the Road Safety Practitioners’ Colloquium in Ekurhuleni, Creecy said South Africa could not continue to regard the country’s road death toll as normal.
The latest figures show that 6,457 people were killed on South African roads between January 1 and August 23, although this represented a 9% decline compared with the same period in 2025.
Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal accounted for more than a third of the fatalities recorded during the first eight months of the year, highlighting the continuing scale of the road safety crisis.
The government has set a target of halving annual road fatalities by 2030, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Creecy said there had been encouraging progress. Road crashes and fatalities fell by more than 6% in 2025 compared with 2024, while both crashes and fatalities declined by 5% during the 2025/26 festive season.
The 2026 Easter long weekend also recorded the second-lowest number of crashes and fatalities in four years. Compared with the 2024 peak, crashes declined by 24% and fatalities by 39%.
However, the minister warned that the improvements were not enough, with almost 12,000 people still dying on South African roads annually.
The proposed zero-alcohol policy has received backing from the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA), which described the planned amendment as an important step towards addressing preventable road deaths.
MISA chief executive officer for operations Martlé Keyter said a zero-alcohol policy would send a clear message that motorists should not consume alcohol before driving.
The proposed amendment is part of a broader government strategy involving traffic authorities, communities, civil society and the South African Police Service to strengthen enforcement and road safety.
Creecy said authorities would also intensify interventions around entertainment areas and major highways, where intoxicated pedestrians are among those at risk.
If approved, the proposed amendment would mark a significant tightening of South Africa’s approach to drinking and driving, placing greater emphasis on preventing motorists from driving after consuming any alcohol.
