Carnage will continue if nothing is done

Further information has come to light regarding the fatal accident involving a minibus and a train that claimed 16 lives at Shaka’s Head. A spokesman for the investigator of the accident found, amongst others, the following defects:

• The right front brakes were worn to excess which would result in unstable braking on the front axle,

• The rear axle U bolts were loose , resulting in an unstable vehicle,

The taxi had recently received a roadworthy certificate at a private centre in Gauteng.

Notwithstanding the comments by SANTACO provincial chairperson, Bhoyi Zondi that if the department found a taxi to be unroadworthy they would ‘ask’ the owner to fix it, it now appears a further profoundly intelligent comment was made by a senior transport department official as quoted in the Star newspaper on Friday, September 4.

This official was quoted as saying that despite the faults on the taxi, it was unlikely its owner would be held accountable as “the law does not allow us to hold the owner accountable if he was not driving”.

These astonishing comments come in the wake of the so-called commitment of Transport MEC Willies Mchunu to rectify the problems that are causing the ever increasing deaths on our roads.

A task that will be impossible to achieve since no one is accountable for the condition of the taxis, who are politely asked to rectify their problems and a law enforcement that is too afraid to impound the culprits and remove the taxis – without supplying them with new one.

I wonder if the same goes for the ordinary motorist – or are we subject to different laws?

Mr. Mchunu -the carnage will continue.

CLAUDIO FERRI

Zimbali