Ashanti pulls out of concert

2006-04-16 16:47

Johannesburg - International R&B star Ashanti Douglas was one of those hit by the Easter road carnage - her cousin in Randburg was killed just hours before the singer was to perform on Saturday night.

Ashanti had to pull out of the Redd's Divas Concert at the Coca-Cola Dome after her 20-year-old cousin Quinshae Snead was killed in a crash with an unlicensed, drunk driver.

Her life was one of several claimed in Easter road traffic accidents by Sunday morning. According to the transport department, 54 of the deaths happened between Thursday and Saturday.

Snead was flung from a BMW in Hans Strijdom Drive when it rolled after being rear-ended by a speeding Toyota Corolla.

Her body was thrown into the oncoming lane where it was hit by another vehicle, said Solomon Sibiya of West Rand police.

The 17-year-old unlicensed driver of the speeding Corolla had stolen his mother's car, said chief superintendent Wayne Minnaar of Johannesburg metro police.

Two were seriously injured

"He also was under the influence of liquor and measured 0.23 on the alcometer test," he said. The teenager was arrested for drunken driving.

Minnaar said he and the driver of the BMW were seriously injured and were taken to Olivedale Clinic for treatment.

Snead had been on her way from the Coca-Cola Dome to a Johannesburg hotel to fetch something for her famous cousin before her performance. The two had lived together in the United States.

Ashanti was to have appeared on stage with singers Lauryn Hill, Regina Belle, Sibongile Khumalo, Simphiwe, Lebo Mathosa, Bongo Maffin and Tyte Dana.

"The Douglas family has asked the South African public to keep Ashanti, her family and all those involved in this horrible car accident in their prayers," said the promoters.

KwaZulu-Natal traffic authorities have urged holidaymakers to be extra careful making their way home on Monday as wet weather is expected.

Colin Govender of KwaZulu-Natal road traffic inspectorate said the traffic volume of 500 to 800 cars an hour on the N3 corridor on Sunday would probably peak at between 4 000 and 5 000 an hour on Monday.

He said most of the fatalities in the province had been pedestrians.

Collen Msibi of the transport department said that volumes on the N1 were expected to start picking up by Sunday night as pilgrims made their way back from the Zion Christian Church in Moria, near Polokwane.

Minibus in head-on

North West traffic authorities put the province's weekend death toll at 12 by noon on Sunday.

Limpopo police said two people were killed and 22 injured - six of them seriously - in a head-on collision between a minibus taxi and a car on the R101 near Pienaar's River on Sunday.

Superintendent Malesela Ledwaba said the taxi was travelling from Pretoria to Bela Bela, and the car in the opposite direction, when they collided at 11:00 two kilometres from Pienaar's River.

- SAPA