Illegal dirt road causes fatal crash on N12, fuels renewed safety concerns
A deadly crash happened after a car exited an illegal dirt path onto the N12, reigniting public debate over unsafe routes and poor road conditions.
Illegal on- and off-ramp dirt paths along the N12 between Sundra and Delmas appear to be causing many problems. According to Sundra Bulldogs chairperson Derek Bester, one of these roads was likely the direct cause of an accident that killed 31-year-old Jeandré Smith at about 11:40 on July 5.
Eyewitnesses at the scene claimed that a white Toyota Corolla emerged from one such dirt road to access the N12, apparently intending to make a U-turn over the median heading in the direction of Johannesburg, when Smith crashed into the Toyota with his motorcycle.
Bester said there are several of these illegal roads in north- and southbound directions on the N12.
“We close it, just for someone to reopen it again.”
He said neighbourhood watches, farmers and businesses had spent thousands on installing vehicle license plate recognition cameras, but that the unauthorised paths are used as escape routes during hijackings, car thefts, robberies, and even road spikings.
“It is time for those using these roads to take a realistic look at this problem; someone has to make a plan before more innocent people lose their lives.”
However, some locals disagree. Two Rietkol residents who preferred to remain anonymous said these hidden paths are essential.
“As long as the municipality does not get our roads in Rietkol in a drivable condition, I will continue to use that path. I have to get my children to school in the morning and get to work on time, so show me where else I have to drive,” one Rietkol resident told the Streeknews.
“Yes, I use that same road and have been for years. The roads inside Rietkol are simply impassable, and when it rains, you can’t drive anywhere, so I drive that path to get onto the N12,” said another woman.
The Streeknews has since attempted to reach a spokesperson for the South African National Roads Agency Limited but had received no response at the time of going to print.
Meanwhile, a wife, child, parents and friends are mourning the death of Smith. He was riding his motorcycle on the N12 towards Delmas when the fatal accident occurred.
Smith’s mother, Marina van den Berg, told the Streeknuus her son had gone to pick up his motorcycle in Kempton Park that morning.
His wife, Excelda, had dropped Smith off at the dealership. While he signed the documents for his new bike, she returned to Delmas.
There, the Smith couple’s little boy, his mom and grandmother excitedly waited for daddy Jeandré to return home and show off his new motorcycle.
However, Excelda then received a call that her husband had been killed in an accident on the N12. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, while emergency services transported the seriously injured driver of the Toyota to the Bernice Samuel Hospital in Delmas.
