The City of Cape Town has responded to a marked increase in motor vehicle and pedestrian crashes over the festive season thus far.
The city said that law enforcement officers made 1 163 arrests in December, and issued 31 846 fines for various transgressions.
In addition, officers recovered 11 firearms, six imitation firearms and 135 rounds of ammunition.
They also confiscated 2 384.75 units of drugs.
Alcohol confiscations between December 1 and January 3 totalled 7 434 bottles, equating to just under 3 500 litres.
Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith said: “On the face of it, this statistic seems very encouraging compared to a few years ago. And, as tempting as it is to assume that the message has finally landed, we know from experience that those who insist on drinking have simply switched up their modus operandi - from using alcohol sachets and other means to avoid detection, to drinking at home or in their vehicles and then arriving at the beach drunk.
“It doesn’t matter how they do it, though, the fact remains that people who insist on drinking in public not only ruin the occasion for others but also put themselves and the enforcement and emergency services staff who have to respond if anything happens in harm’s way.”
Metro police officers made 112 arrests, including 26 for drunk driving, and issued 14 624 fines for traffic and by-law transgressions. Officers also recovered four firearms, seven rounds of ammunition and 303 units of alcohol.
Officers also confiscated 237 units of drugs.
Cape Town traffic officers made 197 arrests, including 138 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol and 24 for reckless and negligent driving.
A total of 35 motorists were arrested on various other charges. They also executed 4 136 warrants, impounded 799 public transport vehicles and recorded 203 763 transgressions.
“I want to thank our staff for their efforts. Public safety over the festive season is a massive undertaking, particularly given how many people simply refuse to take responsibility for their own safety. The statistics indicate a slightly quieter December compared to the previous year, but there was still a lot to contend with.
“The increase in crashes that our Fire & Rescue Service attended to is a flag. Unfortunately, road safety and specifically the behaviour of drivers continue to be one of the myriad challenges we face,” said Smith.
Arrive Alive spokesperson, Johan Jonck, said: “I believe across the country we see a consistent trend of pedestrians making up 40% and more of fatalities - this is also one of the most difficult aspects to enforce… keeping in mind that SA has the 10th largest road network in the world!
“To lower road deaths the two focus areas need to be on are pedestrian deaths and the wearing of seatbelts!”
Provincially, the Western Cape Government expressed concern over the 106 fatal crashes and 122 fatalities recorded on municipal and provincial roads during the festive period from December 1, 2024, to January 3, 2025.
While these figures represent an improvement compared to the same period last year, they underline the critical need for heightened road safety efforts.
The majority of the fatalities were passengers, pedestrians, and drivers, in that order. Notably, 51 of the incidents involved pedestrians, and 21 were identified as hit-and-run cases.
Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku emphasised the devastating impact of irresponsible behaviour on the roads, “No family should have to face the pain of losing a loved one due to a preventable road crash. This festive season, we have intensified traffic visibility and enforcement measures to safeguard all road users.
“However, personal responsibility remains the cornerstone of road safety. Each of us must play our part by following traffic rules and exercising caution and courtesy.”