More death on roads

WITH the latest of a string of road accidents in the province claiming 17 lives in three separate collisions over the weekend and Monday, the department of transport, safety and liaison is adamant that these accidents were caused by human error.

It would seem the additional visibility and stricter traffic control exercised by the department over the past few months made no difference to the safety of people who use the province’s roads.

At the beginning of last month, CV also reported on the high number of road deaths in Limpopo, especially where minibus taxis were involved. At the time transport, safety and liaison acting spokesperson, Jimmy Machaka, also said human error such as fatigue or reckless and negligent driving seemed to be the cause of most of the fatal accidents on the roads. At the time, he also confirmed that traffic officials would be stricter and more visible in future.

Over the past weekend, 11 people died and two were seriously injured when two vehicles collided head-on on the N1 South near Mookgophong.

According transport, safety and liaison spokesperson, Mafenya Lediga, the cause of this collision may have been driver fatigue.

In another accident over the weekend, five people died on the Malamulele road when two vehicles collided head-on.

Also in Malamulele, a motorbike and a minibus taxi collided on Monday. The motorcyclist died and the passengers of the minibus taxi were slightly injured.

Lediga said these accidents painted a grim picture of the province’s roads. He said transport, safety and liaison MEC, Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana called on all road users to obey the rules of the road, exercise patience and refrain from speeding and drinking and driving. “She urged law enforcement officers to show no mercy to traffic law violators,” he said.

Mokaba-Phukwana further said the province could not continue to bury people because of traffic law violators. She said she would strengthen road safety campaigns. “Government welcomes partnerships that will help to encourage good behaviour on the roads,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of the DA, Suzan Phala asked the department to identify accident hotspots on the province’s roads to that they could deploy sufficient traffic officials to these areas.