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EASTER ROAD DEATHS IN THE NORTHERN CAPE MORE THAN DOUBLES

MEC Motlhaping being interviewed by NCNN.LIVE's Thabo Mothibi
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Easter holidays road fatalities in the Northern Cape have more than doubled. Provincial MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison Lebogang Motlhaping released his department’s Easter Road Safety Report which pointed to a sharp increase of 27 deaths this year in comparison to 10 in 2017. Motlhaping says from the 27 that died on the provinces roads; 13 were drivers, 11 passengers and three (3) pedestrians.

“Going forward, we need to take time for an in-depth analysis of the circumstances surrounding each crash, to inform our operations for coming years.

“Our operations have targeted certain areas that were identified as high risk. One thing we have learned, even now, is that we need to commit to patrolling our high risk areas without releasing our pressure in all other areas of the province,” explains Motlhaping.

Motlhaping also added in an interview with NCNN.LIVE that the other factors that could have contributed to the sharp increase include amongst others; an extended Easter period which came with a an extended weeklong school holidays, increase of vehicles on the provinces roads owing to mining activities and fatalities attributed to an increase in young drivers who are impatient on the road. (see interview).

Last month, in announcing South Africa’s Easter holidays road fatalities which stood at a 14% increase based on 449 road users who perished in crashes, Transport Minister Blade Nzimande alluded to the Northern Cape, North West and Limpopo as the provinces that contributed to the national spike.

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Thabo Mothibi is a former broadcast journalist (TV and Radio) – with specialist reporting experience; SABC Political/Parliamentary and TRC Teams over a period of five years (1995 to 2000).

One key foreign assignment - is the 11-nation African Connection Rally – overland journey from Africa’s northern-most pole in the coastal Tunisian city of Bizerte to the southern-most pole in South Africa’s Cape Agulhas. From the journalistic years, Thabo then delved into Government media liaison and serving two former Ministers and three MECs. He became the Northern Cape Provincial Government’s first department based Communications Director at Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development - 2008-2010 – where he also served as Head of Ministry from 2003 – 2008.

As a former anti-apartheid activist, his political background and professional training aided him in spearheading the Northern Cape ANC’s 2004 National Elections media and publicity campaign and that of the 2006 Local Government Elections.

Whilst based in Waterkloof in Pretoria -2010 to end 2011, he consulted for Manstrat Agricultural Intelligence, then returned to the Northern Cape in 2012 to date, to consult independently and pursue other entrepreneurial interests in media and communications through KwaVuko Communications and Marketing.

Thabo Mothibi obtained his NQF7 through Wits University’s Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM) in Johannesburg, a Unilever Mandela Rhodes Academy for Marketing and Communications Academy (UMRA). The goal of the NQF7 programme was to educate and train public and private sector professional communicators and marketers in government communications..