A young couple, Dewald (31) and Ilzanie Pretorius (27), died on Friday when a truck failed to stop as it was entering the town from the Long Tom Pass.

Dewald was employed at Northam Platinum Booysendal Mine and Ilzanie was a nail technician. They started dating as teenagers and were married in 2018.

The truck picked up speed after demolishing the Pretoriuses’ VW Polo at The Heads Shopping Centre’s traffic circle, and continued down Voortrekker Street where the next series of accidents occurred. It hit a delivery truck of McGee Ford’s, a delivery vehicle of Open Serve’s, a Ford Fiesta, which overturned, and completely wrecked a Nissan Almera.

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The two young men in the Ford Fiesta sustained light injuries. The impact of the truck on a Ford belonging to the Legal Aid Board pushed it into the parking lot of Westvaal Mashishing.

The Ford plunged into an Opel Cargo. The truck stopped about 500m from Westvaal Mashishing after it had also hit a grey Toyota RunX, a silver Mazda CX3 and a maroon Dodge Calibre. The truck driver was detained at the Lydenburg SAPS on Friday afternoon for negligent and reckless driving as well as culpable homicide. He was released on a warning and appeared in the Lydenburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

According to the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison’s (DCSSL) spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi, there is a possibility that more charges may be added.

“The investigation has the full support of our department. Truck drivers and truck owners must ensure that their trucks are roadworthy at all times and that their drivers obey the rules. MEC Vusi Shongwe of the DCSSL is sending his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family,” said Mmusi.

Friddah Nkadimeng, the executive mayor of Thaba Chweu Local Municipality, expressed her condolences to the family who had lost loved ones. “We thank the emergency and rescue workers, traffic department, Lydenburg SAPS and members of the public for their swift response,” said Nkadimeng.

The DA of Thaba Chweu Local Municipality conveyed its deepest condolences to the families of Dewald and Ilzanie Pretorius.

“In the coming week, I will be deliberating with my colleague in the provincial legislature, Trudie Grové-Morgan, thus obtaining an appointment with the MEC for the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport. We need to investigate the procurement of a mandatory stop on the mountain to force heavy vehicles to stop and then drive into town in first gear for the last few kilometres. This matter will be taken up on a national level with the Minister of the Department of Roads and Transport, Hon Fikile Mbalula, to ask him to work with the province to ensure the establishment of such a mandatory stop.

This is simply my suggestion to limit any more loss of life and damage in the future,” said Sonja Boshoff, DA member of parliament. In the 1980s, the Lydenburg municipality erected a permanent emergency ramp at the entrance to the town from the Long Tom Pass. Why the truck driver failed to use this sandpit has yet to be determined. The truck driver’s next court appearance date has still to be confirmed.