The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) expresses its deepest condolences to the families, loved ones, and communities of those who lost their lives in the tragic bus crash on the N1 near Makhado in Limpopo. We extend our solidarity to the injured and wish them strength and a full recovery.
This devastating tragedy is not an isolated incident. It is part of a national catastrophe that continues to claim more than 12,000 lives every year, with 11,883 road deaths recorded in 2023 and 12,436 in 2022, and over 100,000 people seriously injured annually, according to official data from the Road Traffic Management Corporation. This means that, on average, more than 30 people die every day on South Africa’s roads.
Pedestrians overwhelmingly working-class people forced to walk due to the collapse of safe and affordable public transport account for nearly half of all road deaths. In 2023 alone, 5,360 pedestrians were killed.This crisis is not only a human tragedy. It is also a growing fiscal and social catastrophe that is pushing the Road Accident Fund (RAF) toward collapse.
THE ROAD SAFETY CRISIS IS BANKRUPTING THE ROAD ACCIDENT FUND
The RAF, which exists to compensate victims of road accidents and their families, is now in a severe financial crisis. The Fund pays approximately R45 billion annually in claims, driven directly by South Africa’s extremely high rate of road accidents, injuries, and deaths.
Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), chaired by Mr Songezo Zibi, has confirmed that the RAF is structurally insolvent, with a deficit exceeding R27 billion, a claims backlog exceeding R20 billion, and total long-term liabilities estimated to exceed R500 billion.
This means the Fund increasingly cannot meet its obligations to injured workers, passengers, and families of those killed. Many victims now wait years for compensation, while some die before receiving justice.
Every fatal crash, every injury, every act of negligence on our roads creates new financial liabilities for the RAF. South Africa’s road safety crisis is therefore not only killing workers it is undermining the very system designed to protect them.
AUSTERITY, COLLAPSE OF PASSENGER RAIL, AND DEREGULATION ARE DRIVING THIS CRISIS
The destruction of the passenger rail system has forced millions of workers onto unsafe roads. PRASA commuter volumes collapsed from over 640 million passenger journeys annually in 2009 to less than 60 million, forcing hundreds of millions of passenger journeys onto buses, taxis, and private vehicles.
The Government austerity policies have also undermined road maintenance, law enforcement, and public transport investment, while deregulation has allowed unsafe operators to place profit before human life.
Drivers are often forced to work excessive hours under exploitative conditions, while unsafe and unroadworthy vehicles continue operating due to weak enforcement.These systemic failures are directly responsible for both the loss of human life and the financial collapse of the RAF.
THE WORKING CLASS PAYS THE PRICE WITH THEIR LIVES AND THEIR FUTURE
The victims of road accidents are overwhelmingly workers, the unemployed, migrants, and the poor. They rely on public transport and walking because safer alternatives are unaffordable or unavailable.
At the same time, the financial collapse of the RAF threatens to deny them compensation when accidents occur. This represents a double injustice: the working class faces the greatest risk of injury and death, and increasingly cannot rely on compensation when tragedy strikes.
SAFTU DEMANDS URGENT NATIONAL INTERVENTION
SAFTU calls for immediate and decisive action, including:
- A full, transparent investigation into the Limpopo bus crash and accountability for any negligence;
- Urgent identification and upgrading of all road accident blackspots;
- Massive reinvestment in passenger rail to restore safe mass transport;
- Strengthened enforcement of roadworthiness and transport safety regulations;
- Improved working conditions and protections for drivers to prevent fatigue-related accidents;
- A comprehensive national road safety emergency plan to reduce fatalities
- Urgent financial and governance reforms to stabilise and protect the Road Accident Fund.
SAFE TRANSPORT IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT The continued loss of more than 12,000 lives annually,and the financial collapse of the RAF represents a national emergency driven by systemic neglect, austerity, and policy failure. The lives of the working class must not be treated as disposable. SAFTU stands in solidarity with the affected families and calls for urgent structural reforms to build a safe, publicly accountable transport system that protects both human life and the rights of accident victims.
A statement was issued on behalf of SAFTU by the General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi.
For media inquiries, contact the National Spokesperson at:
Newton Masuku newtown@saftu.org.za 0661682157 Media Officer Asive Dyani 0719019564
