Thousands of motorists on the country’s roads as factories and industries close for festive season

2-minute read
20 December 2023 | 09:19 CAT

The festive season is here – and traffic cops will be out in numbers across the country. Moeketsi Mamane

Thousands of workers are returning home after a challenging year as factories and other industries shut shop for the festive season. Roads between the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, as well as Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, are busy as workers make the track home, mostly in buses and taxis.

Trade union federation Cosatu’s provincial secretary Malvern de Bruyn said most factories across the province would shut shop from Thursday onward as workers prepared to spend time with their loved ones.

“We are coming to the close of the year and are aware that many of our people stay outside of the province and that most of them will be travelling back home until next year,” De Bruyn said.

“We call on our members to be safe on the road and to have a safe journey while travelling,” De Bruyn added.

As the peak season for inter-provincial travel begins, De Bruyn calls on all minibus taxi operators to take extra care to ensure the safety of passengers.

SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) chairperson Mandla Hermanus said more than 500 minibus taxis were planning to leave the province this week to drop off passengers in the Eastern Cape.

Santaco cautioned drivers to take regular breaks when taking the long road.

“We encourage our drivers to make regular stops when tired and to cooperate with law enforcement officials,” Hermanus said.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Moulana Muhammed Kara.

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