The R75 road between Gqeberha and Kariega has become notorious as Nelson Mandela Bay’s deadliest road and has claimed the lives of 35 people in little over one year.
This information was provided by the metro’s Traffic and Licensing Department after receiving questions from the DA NMB Caucus Chief Whip, Cllr Gustav Rautenbach.
The department confirmed the following accidents on the R75 for the period between April 2024 and May 2025:
- 26 fatalities involving motor vehicles.
- 9 fatalities involving motor vehicles and pedestrians.
- 489 serious injuries and 578 minor injuries due to motor vehicle accidents.
- 344 minor injuries involving motor vehicles and pedestrians.
This underscores the carnage on this road and the urgency with which the R75 must now be upgraded immediately.
I have again written to the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, and the CEO of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL), Mr Reginald Demana, to demand that they act immediately.
[download letters here and here]
The ongoing and escalating danger posed by the R75 is largely due to the persistent lack of functional traffic lights, inadequate street lighting, and the absence of effective road safety measures. Despite repeated efforts by myself and various stakeholders to raise these concerns with Minister Creecy and Mr Demana, the problems associated with the R75 remain unaddressed.
Minister Creecy and Mr Demana must take immediate and pro-active steps to ensure the safety of all motorists making use of this vital stretch of road. The current state of inaction is unacceptable in the face of the daily risk to life. SANRAL’s inability to develop a plan to address the R75 safety issues is unacceptable.
The DA will do everything in its power to protect the metro and its residents from the hazards posed by this road. We are in your corner, fighting for you. Together we can get Nelson Mandela Bay working again.