The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, together with SAPS management and members, joined the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety during the launch of the 2025 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign and the handover of a new departmental fleet. The event was held on Thursday, 04 December 2025, at Bana ba Thari Special School in Solomondale Village, Sebayeng policing area, Capricorn District.
The programme commenced with a roadblock on the R81, followed by a parade of police and traffic officers as part of the official launch aimed at ensuring safety on Limpopo’s major routes during the festive period.
The launch was led by MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Ms Violet Mathye, joined by the Head of Department, Mr Steve Matjena; a representative of the Executive Mayor of Polokwane Local Municipality, Cllr Pemme; Dikgale Tribal Authority representative, Mr Sekoti Dikgale; Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Policing, Major General Jan Scheepers; District Commissioners; Provincial Heads; Station Commanders; SAPS members; officials from Transport and Community Safety; media; and community members.
The objective of the campaign is to engage road users on safety matters, particularly along the R81, which has recorded an alarming number of fatal crashes.
Stakeholders including the Dikgale Tribal Authority, Provincial Taxi Council, SANSBOC, the South African Council of Churches, and the Road Traffic Management Corporation attended and expressed their support for the initiative.
In her address, Lieutenant General Hadebe assured communities of Dikgale and the broader Limpopo province that law enforcement agencies remain committed to closing all criminal gaps.
“We are intensifying action against drugs and illegal alcohol operations. Anyone who chooses to break the law will spend Christmas behind bars. We will not tolerate violence against women, children, or the elderly, nor will we tolerate house robberies, hijackings, or cash-in-transit attacks. Our message to criminals is clear: your time is up.”
She thanked all stakeholders for their continued support and urged parents to safeguard their children during the festive period, adding in Sepedi, “Batswadi, hlokomelang bana—bana ba bohlokwa.”
During her keynote address, MEC Ms Violet Mathye highlighted the high number of traffic fatalities along the R81 and called on all road users to exercise vigilance and responsibility.
She further enhanced service delivery through the handover of new fleet vehicles:
“Today, we unveil 53 new traffic fleet vehicles to reinforce our officers and strengthen road safety across the province. Road safety is every road user’s responsibility.”
MEC Mathye commended motorists for achieving zero fatalities during the recent long weekend, aligning with this year’s campaign theme, “It Starts With Me.”
During the event, Festive Season Road Safety Plans were formally handed to both the MEC and the Provincial Commissioner.
A key highlight of the campaign was the handover of 53 vehicles to traffic officials and 26 vehicles to SAPS members to enhance law enforcement visibility and service delivery across the province.