Five people sustained serious injuries and one died in a head-on collision between a minibus taxi and a single cab bakkie on Wednesday, February 26.

The accident occurred on the R38 between Verulam and Fairview Mine near Barberton.

According to the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison’s spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi, the people who were seriously injured were passengers in the taxi and the person who died was the bakkie’s driver. Some other passengers in the taxi sustained minor injuries and were treated on the scene.

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“The bakkie’s driver was declared dead on the scene. The Jaws of Life were used to retrieve his body and to free some of the injured passengers from the taxi. The injured persons were rushed to the nearest hospitals. The deceased has not yet been identified and as a result, his next of kin could not be notified,” he said.

Mmusi is calling on motorists to drive with caution as there is an increasing number of fatal road accidents, especially in the morning. He also wished a speedy recovery to those in hospital. The cause of the accident is unknown at this stage but an investigation is under way.
The accident scene has been cleared and the road is open for traffic.