12 die in horror Eastern Cape crash

2012-03-09 07:23

Queenstown - Twelve people were killed in an accident between Whittlesea and Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, according to a report on Friday.

A bakkie carrying eight people collided head-on with a sport utility vehicle (SUV) on the R67 on Thursday night, SABC radio news reported.

A third car then hit the side of the SUV.

A child inside the car was one of the people who died at the scene.

- Are you in the area? Send us your eyewitness accounts.

Comments

• Nigel - 2012-03-09 07:36

  when will our minister of transport, stop bakes carrying people, they are not taxis, they are meant for materials.

  Gail - 2012-03-09 07:48

  There is a limit to what the government can do to stop accidents. We are all resposible for our actions, and should know the dangers of i.e. overtaking on a solid line; driving under the influence of alcohol, and riding in the back of an open bakkie. It's about time people took responisibility for our own actions.

  Fanie - 2012-03-09 08:27

  Ag shame, is that the real cause of the accident.

  Peter - 2012-03-09 08:36

  Exactly Gail!! People need to listen to the DA ads in the Western Cape to try gain an understanding for this. The Birthday girl speaks a whole lot of sense as far as this is concerned.

  Nosiphom - 2012-03-09 09:13

  True Gail. For a third car to ram into an accident just shows that that drive does not know what a following distance is.He should be arrested for reckless driving, even though he also suffered some financial loss, and his insurance, if he has any should repudiate his claim because he cannot drive!

• Rudluv7 - 2012-03-09 07:45

  riding in the back of a van is the same as riding a bike..but with no helmet on,very dangerous

  makesuthink - 2012-03-09 07:50

  Rudluv7 You are greatly mistaken, a van has a roof and side whereas a bike is open

  IanBerry001 - 2012-03-09 07:58

  @ makesuthink - I reckon he means "a pick-up" (bakkie)

  Peter - 2012-03-09 08:37

  What's that saying about "half a brain only needing half a word to understand"?? Something like that Ian??

• Cindy - 2012-03-09 07:55

  There are certain steps that can be taken, like traffic officials actually patrolling and removing unroadworthy vehicles from Eastern Cape roads, stopping drivers who commit "moving violations" (like illegal overtaking etc) BUT in this province all the traffic fools do is have roadblocks to check if you have your licence on you. I have witnessed (in the EC) clearly unroadworthy vehicles being allowed to continue on their journey whilst the aba-traffiki stop & ticket some dude who hasnt got his licence with him....

  Bongani - 2012-03-09 08:36

  i think you talk rubbish. i am from the Eastern Cape and no one said these cars were not road worthy. WWhittlesea and Queenstown are 50kms apart, where exactly were you expecting traffic cops to be. Were you expecting them to form a 50km human chain? people lost lives here and all you can do is to make dumb assumptions.

  Peter - 2012-03-09 08:39

  .... and you reported this to the nearest SAPS office by laying a charge of, possibly, obstruction of justice or perhaps aiding and abetting a criminal or at least something, hey Cindy?

  Cindy - 2012-03-09 08:45

  @ Bongani I too live in the EC. I dont expect 50km long human chains just traffic cops actuially doing their jobs instead of stopping people at roadblocks for bulldroppings. It is precisely because people lost lives here that i am lamenting the inefficient traffic authorities, nowhere did I say that either of the vehicles was unroadworthy BUT clearly something went wrong (speed, dangerous driving, reckless overtaking, unroadwothiness take your pick) for this accident to have happened. Get your head out the sand boet, people are dying becaus ethe aba-traffiki would rather put up a roadblock than patrol the roads!! @Peter I have tried reporting these incidents to the SAP and all you get is a shrug and a "what do you want us to do"

  Nosiphom - 2012-03-09 09:22

  Cindy, having unroadworthy vehicles on the roads is not the fault of traffic police, the problem is the regulatory environement that allows un roadworhty vehicles to be licenced in the first place. The problem should be stopped at the source, not through policing, because then the enforcement system becomes overloaded, corruption creaps in, etc. Policing should be used to deal with deliberate offenders. The offenders with unroadwiorthy cars are allowed by the system to be "legally" on the road - with a valid license disk.

• Pieter Erasmus - 2012-03-09 08:07

  traffic officials should stop eating ans start patrolling hi ways, its there where people looses their life not under a tree in the middle of the cbd.

  Fanie - 2012-03-09 08:29

  There are very few officials who are thin. Usually it is anew employee who is thin.

  colin.dovey - 2012-03-09 09:00

  I hear that Leon Schuster is looking for people like you @Fanie for his next movie.......

  seanpresherhughes_1 - 2012-03-09 09:33

  Fanie, isn't your cvomputer's battery flat yet?

• Trevor - 2012-03-09 08:09

  This hs nothing to do wit hcommon sense or bakkies carrying people, do ANY of you live or ever drive in the area...guess not. Do yourself a favour, go drive in the EL/Bisho/Transkei area...they have NO CLUE how to drive there...passing on blind hills, corners into headon traffic,unroadworthy vehicles...donkeys...goats....if you want to see how SA will be in the future...absolute free for all and Government does not care, they ONLY police JHB/PTA that is where the revenue is in fines.

  Wally - 2012-03-09 09:51

  Exactly, Trevor! If you read my comment somewhere below you will understand where my comment is coming from. Ppl who live in nicely controlled areas will not understand this. Where there is a total lack of knowledge/understanding/care you have chaos! That is our concern wrt these areas.

• Isabel - 2012-03-09 08:10

  When are the police going to start enforcing traffic laws? You're pulled over in the UK for a broken tail light and this sort of thing is simply unthinkable. Start policing properly instead of setting up speed traps and getting bribes.

• Yolokazi Lethabo Langeni - 2012-03-09 08:21

  They need to upgrade the roads there, there's currently too many potholes on eastern cape roads. And secondly traffic officers need to do their job and ban vehicles that are not roadworthy, instead of accepting bribes.

  Cindy - 2012-03-09 08:49

  Thank you Yolokazi for backing up my argument. The EC traffic cops are useless more interested in ticketing you for forgetting your licence or seat belt than taking dangerous drivers off the road.... and the state of our roads is absolutely shocking (even in the towns!)

• Fanie - 2012-03-09 08:24

  There is no discipline on the roads.If Mr Ndebele keeps on sleeping it is going to get worse. Until the ANC stops from thinking that they are above the law and go on speeding ( Winnie Mandele )it will get worse. Every time I go on the road I must avoid other cars passing at the wrong places, passing against oncoming cars ect.It is a nightmare.

• seanpresherhughes_1 - 2012-03-09 09:14

  Fan ie you are being ignorant - it is about the amount of people killed, not who caused it - do YOU know who caused it?

• Wally - 2012-03-09 09:44

  Speed? No! Recklessness? Most likely! Not knowing how to behave on the road? Definitely! Not knowing how to really drive and control a m/v? In at least one instance most probably! Not knowing what the rules of the road are/ignorant thereto and a total ignorance towards life and property? In at least one instance probably a given! No, I am not without a heart. I feel deep sympathy towards the many ppl who depend on these bakkies and taxi's for getting from one end to another. I have deep sympathy towards the ppl who have lost family members in this accident and so many others. I have deep sympathy towards anyone injured. But...I am sick and tired of the fact that the authorities close their eyes to the real cause(s) for accidents - and some members of the public too. The taxi industry is treated with cotton wool and gloves, as is some other carriers of people. Nothing is done to establish a reliable and trustworthy public transport network. The taxi recap programme merely saw kamakazi's drive even bigger and faster vehicles at ridiculous speeds and with NO regard to ANY other road user or member of public, except his fellow taxi-men. Dare to speak and you are likely to be shot or brutally assaulted - and even with cctv footage and your testimony there would be "a lack of evidence"! I do not know who is to blame for this one, but with all the taxi's, busses and trucks involved...something is common in all these cases and it is time this is properly investigated and acted upon!

• Mel - 2012-03-09 10:00

  NZ is the number 1 country for road policing and having safe roadworthy cars. Outcome less fatalities per head of population. Shame on SA so lackadaisacal re same and law and order.

• Patsy - 2012-03-09 11:20

  A taxi involved yet again.....

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