Transport Minister Blade Nzimande has announced that 510 people died on South African roads over the Easter holidays.
This is a 14% increase from last year's figure of 449.
The accidents were recorded between March 29 and April 9.
The highest increases in fatalities were recorded in the Northern Cape, North West and Limpopo.
Nzimande announced the preliminary statistics at the Imbizo media centre at Parliament on Tuesday.
Over 18,900 law-enforcement officers countrywide were deployed over the long weekend, especially in areas where there is a high accident rate, to ensure all road users were safe.
Nzimande was joined by the MECs for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, as well as authorities and officials responsible for road safety, traffic and law enforcement in the country.