Four lives lost in three Lowveld accidents
Three separate accidents on Lowveld roads saw the deaths of four people in just three days. The MEC for public works, roads and transport warned motorists that many law enforcement officials will be deployed over the Easter weekend, and that they will arrest any transgressors.
With the Easter holidays fast approaching, four people have already been killed in three separate car crashes that occurred on Lowveld roads last Friday, March 15, and over the weekend, March 16 and 17.
The first crash occurred on Friday morning and involved a Toyota Etios and a minibus taxi on the Sabie River bridge just past the Phabeni Gate turn-off on the R536.
According to the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison’s spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi, the Etios’s driver died on the scene while the minibus driver was rushed to hospital for medical treatment.
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On March 16, an accident between Coopersdal and Strydomblok intersections near Komatipoort claimed the lives of two occupants, while injuring two others. It was a single-vehicle accident, and according to Frits Koekemoer of the Nkomazi Emergency Management Services (NEMS), the two injured occupants were transported to hospital by Securicon EMS.
He said one of the injured and the two bodies were extricated from the wreckage by the NEMS.
In the third incident, which occurred last Sunday, one person was killed in a crash involving a minibus and sedan on the N4 between the KaNyamazane and Mara intersections.
As the Easter weekend is characterised by the mass movement of people of various religions, holidaymakers and migrant workers, the result is that this period normally experiences a high demand for long-distance travelling through public and private transport modes.
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The MEC for public works, roads and transport, Mandla Ndlovu, said his department will play its role in terms of visibility on all major roads in Mpumalanga. Ndlovu said he was also concerned by the ever-growing number of road accidents in the province, and stressed the need for attitude and behavioural changes among motorists and pedestrians alike to prevent unnecessary accidents.
Mpumalanga recorded 15 road fatalities last Easter, an increase of two deaths in 2023 compared to the Easter weekend of 2022.
According to a research report conducted and released by the Road Traffic Management Corporation, human factors remain a challenge on the road. The report concluded that human factors contributed to 92.6% of road accidents in 2023 as compared to 85.5% in 2022.
“With the Easter holidays already here, we are going to play our part once again by deploying as many law enforcement officials on our roads as possible. Visibility will be high on all major roads, and believe me, our law enforcement officials will arrest each and every transgressor. This will be the order for the Easter weekend,” warned Ndlovu.
He also cautioned against overloading of vehicles by those who travel between this country and Mozambique during this period.
“This is one good example of what we are talking about when we say many road accidents are the result of human error. These people who ferry goods to Mozambique during these holidays intentionally overload their vehicles and trailers with goods and, sadly, with passengers. Our officers are going to be harsh on any motorist driving an overloaded vehicle,” said Ndlovu.
