Four key players in South Africa’s road safety ecosystem – the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA), HEINEKEN Beverages, SANTACO, and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) today committed to coordinated festive-season safety measures aimed at reducing road crashes and alcohol-related harm during December.
The high-level dialogue, held at the CGCSA offices in Sandton, comes as South Africa enters a period historically associated with increased traffic volumes, higher alcohol consumption and elevated crash rates. Last year, the festive season accounted for thousands of serious road incidents nationwide, underscoring the need for joint action.
Today’s session brought together leaders from retail, transport, enforcement and alcohol manufacturing, sectors that directly influence road behaviour, alcohol access, commuter safety and on-the-ground enforcement visibility.
Key Commitments from the Road Safety Dialogue
The partners highlighted several concrete areas of alignment for the 2025 festive season:
- Expanded consumer education on responsible drinking and safer road behaviour across retail and brand touchpoints.
- Fatigue management and safer rank practices across the taxi industry, particularly on peak travel days.
- Data-driven enforcement visibility by RTMC along high-risk routes identified through festive-season crash and fatalities trends.
- Retail compliance support to curb underage and irresponsible alcohol purchasing.
- Consistent safety messaging promoting the national call: “Don’t Drink and Drive. Get Home Safely.”
Voices and comments from the Road Safety Dialogue:
Zinhle Tyikwe, CEO, Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA): “Retailers engage millions of South Africans every day, especially during the festive season. As the CGCSA, we are committed to ensuring that retail spaces promote responsible purchasing behaviour and support national road safety efforts. Today’s dialogue reaffirmed the importance of working together to protect consumers and communities during this high-risk period.”
Millicent Maroga, Corporate Affairs Director, HEINEKEN Beverages: “Road safety cannot be solved by one sector alone. Today’s dialogue reflects our shared commitment to encouraging responsible consumption, promoting safer behaviour, and supporting the national call to ‘Don’t Drink and Drive. Get Home Safely.’ We value the partnership between manufacturers, retailers, transport and enforcement authorities as we work to create safer festive journeys for all South Africans.”
Motlhabane Abnar Tsebe, President of SANTACO: “December is one of the busiest periods for the taxi industry, and the safety of our passengers remains our highest priority. This dialogue provided a valuable platform to align with partners on fatigue management, driver conduct and safer taxi ranks. When we work together as a collective, we strengthen our ability to keep South Africans safe on the road.”
Refilwe Mongale, Acting CEO, RTMC: “The festive season requires heightened vigilance on our roads, especially high-risk areas. Through partnerships like today’s dialogue, the RTMC can strengthen enforcement visibility and deepen behaviour-change communication. Collaboration across sectors is essential if we want to reduce crashes and save lives. It begins with me; it begins with you and all of us! Let us ensure a safe festive season and cross alive to 2026.”
Looking Ahead
The partners will continue to collaborate through December, supporting increased enforcement visibility, consumer awareness campaigns and coordinated festive-season safety activation across the country.