South Africa is preparing to scrap the small amount of alcohol drivers are currently allowed before getting behind the wheel, replacing it with a strict zero-percent limit.
A push already in motion
Transport Minister Creecy said the government is pursuing amendments to Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act to drop the existing thresholds, 0.05g per 100ml of blood for ordinary drivers and 0.02g for professional drivers, to zero. As of September 2026, the Department of Transport is still waiting on approval from the Chief State Law Advisor and the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System, with Cabinet sign-off targeted before the year ends. That means the current limits remain the law for now. Nothing changes on South African roads until Parliament passes the amendment.
Arrests climb past 18,000
More than 18,000 drivers were arrested for drunk driving between March and August this year, about a third of all traffic arrests in that window, Creecy said. During the 2025/26 festive season, 173,695 drivers were tested and 8,561 came back positive, up 144 percent on the year before.
Road deaths, meanwhile, have started falling. The country recorded 6,457 deaths between January and late August 2026, a 9 percent drop from the same period in 2025. Pedestrians made up 48 percent of those deaths.
Will a lower number actually help?
Not everyone is convinced a stricter limit changes behaviour on its own. The AA has argued that cutting the limit only matters if it comes with tougher, more visible policing, since a driver who doubts they will ever be stopped is unlikely to change their habits regardless of where the line sits. Creecy, for her part, has pointed to visible policing as one of the strongest deterrents against reckless driving.
Not a ban on drinking
The proposed rule targets driving, not drinking. Buying and consuming alcohol stays legal; the law only bites once a driver with any measurable trace gets behind the wheel. That distinction matters for how the industry should read this story.
What it means for African drinks brands
A zero limit sharpens the line between drinking occasions and driving occasions. It raises the stakes for designated-driver campaigns and ride-hailing partnerships, and adds pressure on brands to rethink how consumption occasions built around bars, restaurants and events get marketed across the region. The pattern is already showing up elsewhere on the continent, where regulators are tightening scrutiny of the alcohol trade even as demand keeps growing.
What happens next
The amendment still needs Cabinet concurrence and a full run through Parliament before it becomes law. Until then, South Africa’s current limits stand, even as the political direction points firmly toward zero.
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