LIMPOPO – Sixteen people were killed in a head-on collision on the R579 in Motetema near Groblersdal on Friday morning (March 3).

The Department of Transport reports that a minibus taxi collided head-on with a truck and another minibus taxi after overtaking unsafely.

Transport spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene said one of the minibus taxis involved was transporting learners to school and that the drivers of both taxis and seven learners are among the sixteen dead.

“Four passengers with serious injuries were transported to a nearby health facility for medical attention. Law enforcement officers at the scene cite reckless driving as a possible cause of the crash,” her statement read.

Transport MEC Florence Radzilani visited the scene this morning (March 4).

The Department of Education reports that seven learners are still receiving medical attention in two hospitals and two others who escaped with minor injuries have been discharged.

“We will work very closely with the Department of Social Development to ensure that both the families and learners receive proper psychosocial support”, Limpopo Education MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya said.

She has also called on scholar transporters to be cautious when ferrying learners to various schools in the province.

Meanwhile, three other people were also killed in a separate accident on the R71 near Ga -Makanye in Mankweng on Friday.

Chuene said a truck ignored a stop sign and collided with a light motor vehicle killing all three occupants.

Radzilani expressed serious concern about the number of fatalities that the province had already recorded at this time of the year.

“These accidents are an indication that something is very wrong when it comes to driver behaivour as these crashes are caused by reckless driving in most instances. We continue to plead with motorists to obey the rules of the road at all times, and ensure that their vehicles are in a roadworthy condition before they can embark on their trips”, she said.