South Africa is moving towards a zero-alcohol limit for motorists, with government aiming to secure Cabinet approval for amendments to the National Road Traffic Act by the end of 2026.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said the Department of Transport is pursuing changes to Section 65 of the Act that would introduce a strict 0% blood-alcohol policy.
The proposed change has not yet become law, and South Africa’s existing legal alcohol limits remain in force.
Previous zero-alcohol proposal rejected
This is not government’s first attempt to introduce a zero-alcohol limit for motorists.
Creecy first announced the latest push in January 2026, while a near-identical proposal to reduce the drink-driving limit to zero was rejected by Parliament’s portfolio committee on transport in 2022.
Road-safety commentators have questioned whether the outcome will be different this time, with one prominent critic describing the renewed push as reopening a debate Parliament had already settled.
What are South Africa’s current alcohol limits?
Current legislation sets the maximum blood-alcohol concentration at 0.05g per 100ml for ordinary motorists.
For professional drivers, the maximum is 0.02g per 100ml.
Equivalent breath-alcohol limits also apply.
The proposed amendment would replace these thresholds with a zero-tolerance approach.
This means the changes would have implications beyond private motorists, particularly for logistics companies, fleet operators, public transport businesses and employers whose staff drive as part of their work.
Government has previously argued that allowing motorists to consume alcohol up to a prescribed threshold creates unnecessary ambiguity around drinking and driving.
Proposed change undergoing assessment
Before the amendment reaches Cabinet, it still needs to move through several processes.
The proposal is currently being considered by the Chief State Law Advisor and is undergoing the required Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System process.
Once those steps are completed, it can be submitted to Cabinet.
Cabinet concurrence would then represent another step in the legislative process before any amendment to the National Road Traffic Act takes effect.
More than 18 000 arrested for drunken driving
Creecy said enforcement figures continued to show the scale of drinking and driving in South Africa.
More than 18 000 people were arrested for drunken driving between March and the end of August 2026.
These arrests accounted for about a third of all traffic arrests recorded during the period.
The proposed zero-alcohol policy forms part of government’s wider efforts to reduce deaths on South African roads.
Pedestrians currently account for 48% of all road fatalities.
According to the Department of Transport, 6 457 people died in road crashes between 1 January and 23 August 2026.
This represented a 9% improvement compared with the same period in 2025, although Creecy said annual road deaths remained close to 12 000.
Government has set a target of halving annual road fatalities by 2030.
For motorists, however, nothing has changed yet.
Until the legislative process is completed and any amendment takes effect, South Africa’s existing legal blood-alcohol limits of 0.05g per 100ml for ordinary motorists and 0.02g per 100ml for professional drivers remain in place.
Read SA Business Integrator online
