By Becker Semela:
South African National Road Agency (Sanral) vehemently denied that it would be reducing the road speed limit from July 1.
The agency spokesperson, Vusi Mona, emphasised they do not have the authority to reduce the speed limit on roads. He said this comes after a false statement recently circulated on social media, claiming that SANRAL would be cutting speed limits across the country.
“The fake message said that changes would include reducing speed limits on urban roads from 60 km/h to 50 km/h, rural roads from 100 km/h to 80 km/h and highways from 120 km/h to 110 km/h.
It also claimed heavy vehicles would be limited to 90 km/h and that school zones would have a strict 30 km/h limit during school hours,” Mona said.
He said this is a classic case of fake news because SANRAL has a clear mandate under the SANRAL Act of 1998.
“We are responsible for the planning, development, maintenance and rehabilitation of national roads, but we have no authority to enforce laws or change speed limits. While we manage the road network, decisions on speed limits and traffic laws fall under other bodies such as the Department of Transport and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC),” Mona said.
He said the fake statement even claimed that the changes would be implemented under something called “Sanral Highway Law”, a law that simply doesn’t exist. “While the proposed speed limit changes may sound familiar, they were actually suggested by the RTMC in 2022. That proposal aimed to lower freeway speed limits to 110 km/h and reduce urban road speeds to 50 km/h, citing road safety concerns.
However, the proposal faced strong public resistance and was eventually dropped,” explained Mona.
He said the spread of fake news like this highlights the need for the public to verify information before sharing it because many road users became unnecessarily alarmed by a false claim that appeared to be from an official source.
“We appeal to the public members to check our official channels for accurate updates and information about national roads. So, the rules of the road remain unchanged, speed limits on urban roads are still 60 km/h, rural roads 100 km/h and national highways 120 km/h unless otherwise posted,” said Vuma, urging motorists to continue driving safely on the roads. – @NewsSA_Online
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