Spiritual and religious leaders have made a passionate appeal to the North West provincial traffic authorities to deploy traffic officers to patrol route R503 linking Mafikeng and Lichtenburg on a routine basis. The appeal was made at the interdenominational and interfaith road safety prayer and cleansing ceremony held last Thursday at the accident prone scene near Thusong Hospital and Itsoseng organised jointly by the South African Ministers Fraternal (SAMIFRA) and the Department of Public Safety.
Speaking at the ceremony after receiving a memorandum outlining proposed interventions, The Mayor of Ditsobotla Local Municipality, Councillor Itumeleng Lethoko expressed appreciation that stakeholders had embraced road safety awareness campaign to reduce accidents on the road particularly in Ditsobotla. She appealed to churches for their continued support and prayers.
Among interventions to reduce accidents on the road, stakeholders proposed that:
* A new electric fence or a thorny security fence in a juxtapose pattern be erected along the road
* Speed humps be constructed near Thusong Hospital to control speed
* Long grass along the road be cut
* Stock farmers fence in their livestock
* Community members responsible for theft of fence intended to sequestrate stray animals alongside the Mafikeng - Lichtenburg road be arrested.
SAMIFRA President, Bishop Daniel Matebesi in his address decried drunken driving, stray animals and use of cellphones while driving as causes of most accidents.
Meanwhile, the final draft of the provincial road strategy, which was extensively debated by stakeholders at the two days Provincial Road Safety Lekgotla held on 26 to 27 June 2008, is in final stages of being refined. The strategy is targeted for adoption by the Executive Council by the end of September.
North West has recorded a 33 percent decrease in the number of road users killed through road accidents in the past financial year. 569 crashes contributed to loss of lives of 735 road users compared to 1 018 road users killed during the 2007/08 financial year. However, to quote Public Safety MEC, Howard Yawa, “One death as result of accidents on our road is a death too many.”
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 381 9171
Cell: 083 629 1987
Fax: 018 381 9164
E-mail: LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Public Safety, North West Provincial Government
14 July 2009
