The Portfolio Committee on Transport is saddened by the horrific accident that claimed 29 lives in Mpumalanga on Monday night. It is worrying that the notorious Moloto Road continues to rob families of their loved ones and leave families destitute as breadwinners are lost. It is even more worrying that the accident happens as the country prepares itself for the festive season where many lives are lost on South Africa’s roads.
The Committee calls on all relevant law enforcement agencies to conduct a full investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.
“Our heartfelt condolences go to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident. The Committee shares their heartache and is saddened that so many lives continue to be lost on South African roads, which not only impacts negatively on their families but on the country in general. We cannot continue to lose so many lives on our roads,” said Ms Ruth Bhengu, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee.
The Portfolio Committee is of the view that the implementation of the Moloto Rail Corridor project will go a long way in solving the high number of accidents that this particular road experiences. The implementation will also give commuters an alternative service they can use, rather than rely on one mode of transportation despite the risks.
The Committee further believes that rail transportation should be the backbone of transport in South Africa in order to provide a safer, affordable and faster service to transport both the public and goods.
The Committee commends the Minister of Transport for taking steps to table the National Rail Transport policy in the Cabinet Committee. The Committee believes that investments made by government in transport infrastructure development are part of the solution to road accidents, “but government alone cannot solve this problem, it also requires communities to become more responsible and respect traffic laws,” said Ms Bhengu.
This commitment to road safety by all road users is necessary if South Africa is to achieve its objective of halving road fatalities in line with the Millennium Development Goals as well as the United Nations Decade of Action against Road Deaths (from 2011 to 2020).
The Committee calls on the law enforcement agencies to effectively monitor the roads and to implement the law to the latter. “Anyone that breaks the law must be dealt with accordingly and vehicles that are unsuitable to be driven on our roads must be removed,” Ms Bhengu emphasised.
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