Mpumalanga worries over Mozambique taxis
2012-05-21 20:46
Johannesburg - Mpumalanga is worried about the number of Mozambican taxis being involved in fatal crashes in the province, Safety MEC Vusi Shongwe said on Monday.
"So far, we have seen a lot of accidents involving vehicles from Mozambique with a high number of fatalities," he said.
This was unfortunate because accidents involving Mozambican vehicles were included in the province's road statistics.
Earlier in the day, eight people were killed when an overcrowded taxi from Mozambique crashed near eNtokozweni (Machadodorp).
The taxi was pulling a trailer and carrying 24 people, including the driver, at the time of the accident, said community safety spokesperson Joseph Mabuza.
"Preliminary investigations indicate that the taxi had a tyre burst and the driver lost control," he said.
Initially seven people were declared dead on the scene and 17 others were injured, 10 critically, with the remaining passengers sustaining minor injuries.
One of the critically injured died later on Monday at Rob Ferreira Hospital in Nelspruit, said Mabuza.
The accident took place on Schoemanskloof road while the driver, killed in the accident, was negotiating a bend around 06:30, Netcare 911 spokesperson Jeff Wicks said.
- SAPA
