Minister bemoans road deaths
2012-03-12 22:42
Durban - Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele bemoaned on Monday the deaths of 30 people in road accidents in the past five days.
"The Road Traffic Management Corporation has dispatched an independent team of accident investigation and reconstruction specialists to assist in the investigation of these crashes," he said.
Eleven people were killed when a truck and a Toyota Venture collided on the R56 between Kokstad and Umzimkulu on Monday morning, KwaZulu-Natal road traffic management spokesperson Sinhle Mngomezulu said.
A child was among the dead. Provincial health department spokesperson Chris Maxon said two people were critically injured and the others were seriously injured.
On Saturday night, seven people were killed when a car hit a group of pedestrians in Tshaulu, near Thohoyandou, in Limpopo, transport department spokesperson Logan Maistry said.
On Thursday, 12 people were killed in a head-on collision near Queenstown, in the Eastern Cape.
Ndebele sent his condolences to the families of those killed.
KwaZulu-Natal Safety and Security MEC Willies Mchunu said accidents could be prevented if people adhered to the rules of the road.
"Please ensure that your vehicles are in a roadworthy condition," Mchunu said.
- SAPA
