Torch of Peace handover

By Celeste Ganga
08 January 2008

On Tuesday the Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe will hand over the Torch of Peace to Education Minister, Naledi Pandor, marking the transition from the Alive Arrive Campaign to the Safer Schools Programme .

“We are handing over the torch as part of our safe festive season. As we close the festive season and our safety campaigns, we would like to hand over the torch to the Education Minister as most schools are opening tomorrow (Wednesday),” says spokesperson for the Department of Transport, Collen Msibi.

Msibi says that this is part of a conceptive campaign by government to ensure that we have safer roads and to ensure that motorists are educated in terms of safety on the roads.

This handover has been taking place for the past four years. “It’s a continuation of what has already started. We believe that when we do such things we indeed bring out education in terms of road safety,” says Msibi.

During the handover ceremony, Radebe will announce the official figures for the festive season and plans to intensify the Arrive Alive Campaign and Rolling Enforcement Plan to further reduce the carnage on South Africa’s roads.

The festive period in 2007 saw a reduction in the number of accidents and fatalities as compared to 2006. Stricter law enforcement initiatives and improved road user behaviour played a significant role in bringing about this outcome.