Creecy made the statement on Thursday while citing festive season road safety statistics that showed how alcohol continues to pose a major threat on South Africa’s roads.
The Minister, together with Deputy Minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, held a media briefing to release the Road Safety Report for the 2025/2026 festive season.
The Report covered the period from 1 December 2025 until 11 January 2026.
Sharp uptick in drinking and driving-related offences
Preliminary data from the 2025/2026 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign showed a five percent drop in both crashes and fatalities compared to the previous year.
A total of 1 427 people died in 1 172 crashes between 1 December and 11 January.
While the overall trend is encouraging, alcohol-related offences surged sharply during the same period.
Law enforcement officers tested 173 695 drivers for alcohol during festive season roadblocks. Of these, 8 561 tested positive for driving under the influence.
This represents a 144% increase compared to the same period last year.
The highest alcohol reading was recorded in KwaZulu-Natal, where a motorist tested at 14 times the legal limit.
Creecy said the statistics underline why tougher laws are needed.
“In today’s South Africa, it is totally unacceptable that there is a law that allows people to drink and drive,” she said. “I cannot explain this to anyone who has lost a loved one in a road crash.”
According to the Report, crashes and fatalities spiked between 15 and 28 December. Those two weeks accounted for more than 40% of all festive season deaths.
Many crashes occurred in the evenings and early mornings, between 19:00 and 21:00, and again between midnight and 01:00. These time slots are commonly linked to social gatherings and alcohol consumption.
Creecy said the pattern confirms that risk increases once travellers reach their destinations and begin celebrating.
Amendment to National Road Traffic Act
After delivering Thursday’s sobering stats, Creecy said the wheels are in motion for a complete overhaul of drink-driving laws in South Africa.
“A law that allows drivers to drink a certain amount and then get behind the wheel must be scrapped,” Creecy said. “We need a clear, unambiguous policy that says drinking and driving is not allowed.”
The minister confirmed that government plans to amend Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act. The goal is to introduce a zero-tolerance approach to alcohol and driving.
Creecy said the proposed changes would honour the memory of thousands of South Africans who have died on the country’s roads.
