Lowveld roads rife with accidents
A number of other people lost their lives on the Lowveld's roads last week.
KAMHLUSHWA – A former Nkomazi Local Municipality (NLM) councillor, Victor Mashabane, was been found fatally shot in his vehicle on Tuesday night. The 55-year-old was a councillor from 2000 to 2005.
According to provincial SAPS spokesman Brig Leonard Hlathi, Mashabane was allegedly kidnapped at the gate of his house in KaMhlushwa. Information police received indicated that an unknown number of men forced him into his vehicle and drove off. He was later found dead in the same vehicle, with a gunshot wound.
Police are investigating the incident, and anyone with information on the kidnapping and murder is urged to contact Capt Pat Banda on 082-449-0291.
• A number of other people lost their lives on the Lowveld’s roads last week.
Two accidents on a wet N4 claimed seven victims on Thursday, among them three children. Both involved bakkies losing control and crashing into oncoming trucks. Joseph Mabuza, spokesman for the provincial Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, said the first accident occurred shortly after 17:00 between the Old Joe Monument and Old Joe’s Kaia on the Schoemanskloof Road.
A bakkie, driving in the direction of Mbombela, apparently lost control and hit an oncoming truck. An adult male and two children were killed. An adult woman and two other children were seriously injured, according to Mabuza.
The crash caused heavy delays on the N4. The scene was cleared at about 21:30.
In another accident late last night, another bakkie lost control and hit a truck between the Tenbosch turn-off and Marloth Park.
Mabuza said that, of the bakkie’s five occupants, four were killed, among them a child. In both cases the truck drivers were uninjured. On Wednesday an Opel Corsa allegedly overtook the vehicle in front of it, just outside Malalane, at around 19:40 and nearly collided head-on with an oncoming truck and trailer. The truck swerved off the road, and the Corsa collided with the trailer. The vehicle overturned and the driver was flung out of the vehicle. He fell on the road and died after being hit by the truck following his vehicle.
