• South Africa proposes zero-alcohol limit for all drivers
• Reform amends National Road Traffic Act’s drink-driving provisions
• Move targets road deaths after 11,418 fatalities in 2025

South Africa’s Department of Transport plans to amend Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act, which currently allows drivers to drink up to a legal limit. The proposed reform would introduce a zero-alcohol limit for drivers.

The legal limit is 0.05g of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, or 0.24mg per 1,000 ml of breath, for ordinary drivers. For professional drivers, the limit is 0.02g per 100 ml of blood, or 0.10mg per 1,000 ml of breath.

“Our driving and drinking policy was formulated almost 30 years ago.  In today’s South Africa it is totally unacceptable that there is a law that allows people to drink and then drive,” Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said.

The move is part of a broader push that includes awareness campaigns that have been running for several weeks. It aims to cut deaths from road crashes.

According to department figures, South Africa recorded 11,418 deaths in 9,674 crashes in 2025, though the toll has been falling. That was down from 12,581 deaths in 10,633 crashes in 2021. During the 2025/26 holiday season alone, 1,427 people died in 1,172 crashes.

Henoc Dossa