A family of five were injured when their car was involved in an accident with a taxi
Picture: Reaction Unit SA
Sixteen people were injured after a taxi and a car collided on the R102 in Nyaninga, KwaZulu-Natal.
Members of the Reaction Unit SA (RUSA) were called out to the scene around 5:42pm, where a white Toyota Quantum taxi and a grey Jeep SUV had crashed at the intersection.
16 injured
The occupants of the Jeep included three children aged three, six and 10, along with their parents, who sustained minor injuries.
Eleven occupants from the taxi suffered mild to moderate injuries and were transported to the nearest hospital for further medical treatment.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Held at gunpoint
Meanwhile, RUSA responded to another vehicle-related incident that occurred earlier this week in eThekwini, where three armed hijackers repeatedly contacted a man believed to be an employee or installer for a vehicle tracking company.
They called seeking telephonic assistance to locate and remove a tracking device from a hijacked vehicle, while holding the driver at gunpoint.
Reaction unit officers were called out on Wednesday evening at 6:30pm at the R102 near the Ottawa traffic lights in KZN.
Hijacking at intersection
The 44-year-old victim informed reaction officers that three armed men approached his white Nissan NP200 while it was stopped at the intersection. They then pointed firearms at him and forcibly removed him from the driver’s seat.
All three suspects then entered the vehicle while an unidentified vehicle followed behind.
According to the victim, the suspects drove around for approximately two hours attempting to locate and remove the vehicle’s tracking device.
Possible tracking employee
They eventually travelled to Hazelmere in KZN where they reportedly had a stronger cellphone signal, and made several phone calls to a man who guided them through the process.
The caller allegedly asked specific questions about the make and model of the vehicle before directing the suspect to inspect various locations and remove interior panels where the tracking unit could have been installed.
The victim believes the hijackers were receiving assistance from a person employed by, or associated with, a vehicle tracking company, based on the conversation.
Before the victim was released, the suspects robbed him of R600 and his cellphone before abandoning him on the roadside.
The stolen white Nissan NP200 has not been recovered.
