Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele on Friday called on all road users to play their part in reducing the carnage on South Africa's roads, after a week in which 40 people died in traffic accidents around the country.

"Together, we must all do much more to reduce the economic and emotional devastation caused by road crashes and road deaths," he said in a statement.

Ndebele expressed his condolences to the families and relatives of the people who died in traffic accidents over the past week.

Road Accident Fund officials would assist the families, while a team of accident investigation and reconstruction specialists would investigate the crashes, he said.

'Drivers need to be patient'

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) on Friday also expressed its concern at the number of deaths on the country's roads in such a short space of time.

"The recent loss of life that has been experienced could have been prevented if all drivers exercised patience and adhered to the rules of the road," said RTMC chief executive officer Ranthoko Rakgoale.

Irresponsible driving and blatant disregard for traffic regulations were especially worrying, he said.

Earlier on Friday, 11 eleven people were killed and two seriously injured when a truck and a taxi collided on the N1 near Polokwane, while on Tuesday this week 12 people were killed in a multiple-vehicle pile-up north of the town.

Last Sunday, 12 people were killed and several others injured in an accident involving five vehicles in Groblersdal in Limpopo, while last Monday six people were killed in a four-vehicle accident on the N3 near Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal.

Safet summit

Ndebele said his department would host a Road Safety Summit later this month.

His spokesman, Logan Maistry, told Sapa it would take place on February 26, at a venue still to be advised.

Ndebele called on all interested organisations and individuals to attend the summit.

The event would coincide with the launch of community Road Safety Councils at municipalities around the country, he said.