Seventy-seven delegates convened in Polokwane for the Limpopo Road Safety Programme (LRSP) Strategy Workshop, organized by Impact Catalyst on behalf of its funding partner, the Anglo American Foundation. The primary goal was to create a unified vision for improving road safety in Limpopo, with a focus on reducing pedestrian and road fatalities. Carole Mitzi, a member of the LRSP project team, noted that Limpopo already has various policy documents and programs addressing road safety.

A recurring theme in these initiatives is the need for clear planning, coherent systems, and enhanced crash data reporting. Key challenges in Limpopo include the overloading of heavy vehicles, road safety campaigns, road maintenance, and investment in automated traffic controls.

“We reviewed traffic and incident data from 2018 to 2022 provided by the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety, Road Agency Limpopo, and the Road Traffic Management Corporation,” Mitzi explained. This analysis revealed which routes in Limpopo had high traffic volumes and high incident rates.#

According to 2022 data, major roads like the N1 and N11 see high traffic volumes. Truck traffic is especially heavy along the N1 towards Beit Bridge, northern Limpopo towards Zimbabwe, and western areas influenced by mining activities. Data from 2018 to 2022 indicated high incident areas in Polokwane, along the N1, Thohoyandou, Sekhukhune, and Mopane district, which is “becoming a concern.”

“While severe incidents could be attributed to various factors, this data helps us focus the Limpopo Road Safety Strategy to reduce accidents and fatalities,” Mitzi stated.

The workshop delegates discussed what an effective strategy for Limpopo should include. Victor Couto, a senior representative from Anglo American Platinum, emphasized avoiding the creation of another strategy. “Instead, we should identify key priorities. What are the top three priorities to achieve ‘zero fatalities’? Once agreed, we must align and move collectively towards implementation.”

Guided by the six pillars of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030—road safety management, safer road infrastructure, vehicle safety, road-user behavior, post-crash response, and speed management—the delegates discussed achievable goals for Limpopo before 2030 and long-term strategic actions.

Key topics included prioritizing cost-sharing for infrastructure development and road maintenance before the 2030 target. Another participant highlighted the importance of balancing safe road use and speed management.

“If we want the biggest impact quickly, we must focus on ensuring safe road use and addressing speed management. Behavior contributes to over 80% of fatalities and accidents,” explained Couto. He noted that investing in more cameras and increasing the visibility of traffic officials will encourage safer road use.

Other high-priority interventions identified during the workshop included the potential introduction of low-speed zones in schools and residential areas, regulated driving hours for public transport and heavy vehicles, and the demarcation and signage for dedicated emergency lanes, rest stops, and separate lanes for buses and taxis.

Dr. Jonathan James, LRSP program manager, pointed out that the high-priority interventions identified outlined what needs to be tackled before 2030 and helped streamline the road safety strategy for Limpopo province. “Once finalized, we hope to inculcate behavior and attitude changes towards road safety among community members and school learners. The long-term goal is to reduce injuries and fatalities,” emphasized James.

Several Limpopo provincial departments, agencies, and public organizations, such as the South African Police Service, South African Road Safety Partnership, South African National Taxi Council, and Road Traffic Infringement Agency, were represented at the workshop.