The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has reiterated its call to motorists to exercise caution and show respect to each other on the roads.

This call comes after a spate of fatal crashes that claimed 15 lives since last Thursday.

The RTMC expressed concern over the increase in road fatalities, attributing the collisions to reckless and negligent driving. In all three incidents, vehicles were involved in head-on collisions.

On Sunday, 13 July 2025, two vehicles collided on the N18, approximately 40km from Mahikeng toward Setlagole in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District, North West Province. Four people died on the scene. A fifth victim's body was later discovered when fire emergency vehicles were booked into the South African Police Service pound for safekeeping.

Another fatal crash in North West occurred on Friday, when four vehicles were involved in a multi-car crash on the N4 between Swartruggens and Groot Marico, resulting in five deaths.

"It is alleged that one vehicle collided with another [and] two other vehicles also crashed into each other at the scene," RTMC spokesperson, Simon Zwane said.

On Thursday, five more people, including a toddler, were killed in the Northern Cape when a light delivery vehicle that was being chased by the police collided head-on with another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction. The crash took place on the N18 near Hartswater.