MEC warns motorists to behave

The Mpumalanga MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Vusi Shongwe, has issued a warning to motorists to drive cautiously and to follow the road regulations.

This comes after two horrible accidents on the N4 near Schoemanskloof last Friday and again on Sunday at the KaNyamazane turn-off. These two accidents claimed the lives of more than five people, including tourists from the Netherlands.

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According to Shongwe, more than 70 people have died on the province’s roads in February alone. “We want to send a strong message to all lawbreakers that we will not scrimp on our efforts to apprehend them. They will be arrested.” He said the frequency of deadly road accidents continues to be a problem. He believes most of these crashes are caused by human error. “In other areas, we have roads with potholes and those that are in a poor condition. But there are many accidents caused by human error even where the roads are in a much better condition.”

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Shongwe continued, “We would like to send our sympathies to the bereaved families. In Mpumalanga, we are also concerned about the presence of foreign nationals who at times drive without proper papers and some don’t follow
the rules.”

The MTPA CEO, Johannes Nobunga, has since conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the three tourists from the Netherlands who died following the horrific accident on the N4 last Friday.

“We are deeply saddened by this incident. We have activated our tourism victim support programme to provide the necessary support. We will continue to work with the officials from the SAPS as they investigate the cause of the incident. We will further work with other relevant departments
to ensure that the families of the deceased receive the necessary support,” said Nobunga.