Public transport under scrutiny after deaths
2011-08-07 19:07
Johannesburg - Public transport operators will be continuously monitored, Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele said on Sunday after 16 people were killed on the country's roads.
Ten people, including a 3-year-old child, were killed near Kokstad on Saturday when a bus and a minibus taxi rolled down an embankment and landed in a river.
Six more people were killed near Golden Gate, in the eastern Free State, when a minibus taxi overturned on a mountain slope on Saturday.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation had sent accident investigation teams to assist in both accidents.
"We want to convey condolences to the families of those killed in road crashes during the weekend, and wish those injured a speedy recovery," said Ndebele.
Higher than normal traffic volumes were expected because of the public holiday, Women's Day, on Tuesday, he said.
In addition, inclement weather was still being experienced in certain parts of the country.
"We are therefore calling upon motorists to drive with your headlamps on at all times, and adjust your driving habits to the prevailing weather conditions," said Ndebele.
His spokesperson Logan Maistry said that since October, more than 10 million vehicles and drivers had been checked and 4.5 million fines issued, 17 000 drunk drivers arrested, and 43 000 unroadworthy vehicles - mostly buses and taxis - pulled off the road.
- SAPA
