ACDP helping Shaka’s Head families

The mood was extremely sombre on the North Coast after the ghastly taxi-train accident that took place in Shaka’s Head.

On behalf of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), I express my deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of the 16 people who tragically lost their lives in that accident.

What saddens me is that most of the deceased were young adults cut off in the prime of their lives; and many had children of their own.

As we are haunted by the graphic images of horror that befell these commuters, it makes us question how long the mini-bus taxi road carnage will continue in South Africa.

There are more than 150 000 taxis on our roads making taxis the most popular mode of transport for the majority of South Africans. It’s no wonder that the death toll from taxi-related accidents has reached pandemic proportions in the recent years.

Statistics show that of the 36 lives lost daily on our road, three are killed in taxi-related incidents. In fact a study done by the AA recorded a total of

70 000 minibus taxi crashes per year. This means that taxis in our country have twice as many crashes than all other passenger vehicles. Therefore making minibus taxi transportation safe is consequently one of the biggest challenges facing South Africa today.

The ACDP believes the safety and protection of people must become the supreme mandate of government.

We pity the families of those who died in this terrible accident. Moved by compassion, ACDP members were prompt to secure sponsorships of groceries and vegetables. These were packed and distributed by ACDP members to the households of all 20 occupants, including the survivors.

ACDP members also spoke words of encouragement and prayed with bereaving families. We thank the business community for their sponsorship, many of whom did not want to be mentioned.