The MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, has officially launched a massive road safety campaign ahead of the 2026 Easter and Passover long weekends.
The campaign titled Operation #NenzaniLaEzweni, the initiative involves a heavy deployment of law enforcement to ensure a significant reduction in road fatalities across the province.
Massive law enforcement deployment
To maintain order on the roads, the department has mobilised a formidable force that will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week until May 3, 2026. This includes more than 3,483 provincial law enforcement officers and 105 national traffic police officers deployed across KwaZulu-Natal.
Strategic road safety targets
The department has set a clear goal of achieving a 10% decrease in road fatalities this season. This follows a successful trend where fatalities dropped by 38% in 2025 and 43% in 2024. To reach this target, the province will execute a high volume of specialised operations:
- 148 multidisciplinary roadblocks will be established across the province.
- More than 80 roadblocks will focus exclusively on combating drunk driving.
- Over 118 speed operations will be conducted in high-accident zones and areas frequented by visitors and worshippers.
- 17 interprovincial roadblocks will be managed by roving teams of law enforcement officers.
- 91 operations will specifically target scholar transport to ensure the safety of students on educational tours.
High-tech enforcement and weighbridge oversight
MEC Duma highlighted a push toward modernisation, announcing plans to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate the weighing process. This technology aims to improve accuracy and prevent fraud through automated number plate recognition, real-time data analysis, and anomaly detection.
Currently, the province's 17 provincial weighbridge sites are seeing intense activity. The Midway weighbridge alone has recorded a peak of over 40,441 vehicles, with a provincial average of 3,370 vehicles weighed per month.
Zero tolerance for pedestrians and unroadworthy vehicles
In a significant shift, the department is turning its attention to pedestrian safety through 28 dedicated enforcement operations. For the first time, authorities will actively actively clamp down on drunk pedestrians walking on busy roads and penalise those who fail to use designated pedestrian bridges.
Furthermore, the “no-nonsense” teams from Operation Shanela and the Road Traffic Inspectorate are already removing unroadworthy vehicles and taxis from the streets. MEC Duma emphasised that law enforcement will target not only drivers but also the owners of these vehicles.
“We have already impounded trucks that were overloaded and those moving with fake registration documents. Our teams are taking a no-nonsense approach to ensure everyone arrives alive.” — MEC Siboniso Duma.