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.

Middle East Report

24 July 2026 | 12:10 CAT 2-minute read Saudi nuclear deal risks fuelling wider Middle East arms race A proposed civilian nuclear agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia could trigger a broader nuclear arms race in the Middle East, according to...

Algorithms of Violence: How TikTok is Fuelling Organised Crime

24 July 2026 | 12:06 CAT 2-minute read A new report released by the Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media (7amleh) warns that TikTok has become a powerful tool for organised crime groups operating within Palestinian society in Israel, allowing them to...

Media Lens With Ebrahim Deen

Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za 23 July 2026 1-minute read This morning on Sabahul Muslim’s Media Lens with Ebrahim Deen, the lead story was the Saudi Arabia nuclear agreement, following confirmation that Trump had signed on to the deal. The agreement is...

DUT hosts Africa’s first global DataScientia AI symposium

23 July 2026 | 12:10 CAT 2-minute read The Durban University of Technology (DUT) has made history as the first institution on the African continent to host the DataScientia International Symposium, an international gathering of researchers, policymakers, industry...

OUTA seeks urgent court halt to AARTO Phase 2 rollout

23 July 2026 | 11:43 CAT 2-minute read The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has filed an urgent High Court application to suspend Phase 2 of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) system, warning that motorists could be unfairly...

De Beers’ Venetia mine suspension signals deeper challenges for South Africa’s diamond industry

Annisa Essack | kzn@radioislam.org.za 23 July 2026 | 10:00 CAT 2-minute read South Africa's diamond sector is facing renewed uncertainty after De Beers announced it will suspend production at its flagship Venetia diamond mine in Limpopo for two years, a move that...