Mass funeral held for 12 Wolmaranstad taxi accident victims
Hundreds of Wolmaranstad residents braved today’s cold wintry weather to pay their last respect to twelve victims (10 women and 2 men), of a minibus taxi that was involved in a head-on collision accident on the R505 road between Ottosdal-Wolmaranstad on Saturday, 8 April 2017.
The mass funeral was held today at Tswelelang township in Wolmaranstad.
Among the mourners was the Premier of Bokone-Bophirima Province Supra Mahumapelo, the MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management Dr Mpho Motlhabane and the Executive Mayor of Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality, Cllr Noni Kgabi.
In conveying the provincial government’s heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased, Premier Mahumapelo said while the final report on what caused the accident is yet to be released, the provincial government was grateful of the patience and cooperation shown by the affected families during the time of forensic investigations.
“We know that the past six weeks have been extremely difficult for everyone. But because of the severity of this accident which left all 12 victims burnt beyond recognition, we had to do thorough forensic work before confirming the results”, said Premier Mahumapelo.
Mahumapelo said the provincial government was continuing to provide support such as trauma counseling to the affected families, especially the only two survivors of this tragic accident, a mother and his 9-year old son.
Urging road users to exercise extra caution and patience on the road, Premier Mahumapelo said while the provincial government has a responsibility to ensure that its road infrastructure is maintained and safe for use, it also remains each road user’s responsibility to obey the rules of the road.
The victims of this horrific accident were all members of the Zion Christian Church. The drivers of both vehicles, a minibus and an SUV, also died.
For enquiries, contact:
Brian Setswambung
Cell: 076 012 4501
E-mail: bsetswambung@nwpg.gov.za
