Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba has conceded that the provincial roads need to be rehabilitated to improve safety.

Limpopo is facing a backlog of over 13 000 kilometers of road that needs to be upgraded.

Last month, Road Agency Limpopo dismissed its Chief Financial Officer Gabriel Maluleke over allegations of failure to deliver roads promised to communities.

The undelivered roads amount to R1.3 billion.

Ramathuba launched the festive road safety campaign at Mantsole weighbridge outside Bela Bela. Ramathuba urged drivers to be cautious on the road.

“I am the first person to admit that our roads have challenges and they require intervention and we are working on the intervention but that does not relieve you as the driver of your responsibility. I was speaking to a pilot who told me that the reason why he flew more than 1 000 people and he has never killed anyone is because he does a thorough check of his plane.”

Ramathuba says reducing trading hours for taverns will help to curb road fatalities.

She says alcohol consumption plays a role in many accidents that happen at night.

“Having seen what alcohol in the early hours is doing to our people, we had a forensic pathologist do a study about the people who were dying on the R71 towards Mankweng. We realised that most of them, including the ones that died on Sunday, were coming from a tavern, drunk in the early hours. So, even after consultations we came up with that.”

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