The officer burned to death inside the state-owned vehicle while on duty along the N2 highway
Picture: KZN Department of Transport
The MEC for Transport and Human Settlements in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Siboniso Duma, announced the tragic passing of a road traffic officer from Park Rynie.
According to Duma, Tim Simpson died when he burned to death inside the state-owned vehicle while on duty along the N2 highway in Park Rynie.
Car engulfed in flames
The car was entirely engulfed in flames around 8pm on Tuesday night.
Expressing his condolences to the family, Duma said Simpson was a hardworking and patriotic KZN Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) officer.
“Our hero, a hard worker and patriotic RTI officer from Park Rynie has fallen,” Duma said.
Investigations
Duma added that a specialised team has been combing through forensic and mechanical evidence to uncover what triggered the fire.
“We have assigned a team from Road Traffic Inspectorate to work with a highly specialised team from the South African Police Service (Saps) as part of an investigation into circumstances surrounding the death of our hero, a hard worker and a patriotic RTI officer from Park Rynie, Timothy Simpson.
“We dispatched a team to meet with the family late last night as a sign of respect to the departed colleague who was respected for his discipline and dedication.”
Meeting with family
Duma said that the head of the department, Zibusiso Dlamini, and senior management will meet with the RTI team in Park Rynie on Wednesday and will also visit the family.
“I want to meet with the wife and the whole family during this difficult period,” he said.
