N4 toll road truck and minibus taxi crash leaves seven dead
A horrific collision that occurred on the N4 toll road near Hectorspruit between a truck and a minibus taxi has left seven people dead last night at around 23:30. All the deceased perished on the scene. The road has been cleared.
According to the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison (DCSSL), it is suspected that the driver of the taxi may have lost control before crashing into the side of the truck.
Eight more people were seriously injured. Various ambulance services responded to the scene and the injured were rushed to nearby Shongwe and Tonga hospitals as well as Mediclinic Nelspruit where they are receiving attention. The injured include the driver of the truck.
The taxi was reportedly travelling from Johannesburg to Mozambique when the crash took place. The victims were all from the taxi and they include the driver. The deceased are four women and three men.
The cause of the crash is still unknown and the investigation is under way.
The Mpumalanga DCSSL MEC, Gabisile Tshabalala is deeply saddened by this latest crash and has therefore appealed to motorists to use the road safely.
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“Transportation of goods and people are the backbone of our economy and, therefore, more caution should be applied by the drivers at all times so that deadly crashes are drastically reduced,” Tshabalala said.
She added that the crashes were afflicting unbearable pain and untold suffering on many families. Therefore, the MEC insisted, motorists should play their part and always obey the rules.
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Tshabalala bemoaned the enormous costs that these crashes, which are mostly avoidable, were costing the economy. “Billlions of rand are lost annually to deal with the aftermath of these deadly crashes which are mostly preventable,” she said. The MEC wishes those who were injured a speedy recovery.
