The Eastern Cape Department of Transport held a memorial service for the 12 Whittlesea crash victims at the Sada Community Hall in Whittlesea on 14 March 2012.
MEC Thandiswa Marawu graced the occasion and conveyed her sincere condolences to the bereaved families and friends and wished those who are still in hospital a speedy recovery.
“During this painful moment we should seek God’s guidance to emerge with a lasting solution to the challenge of road carnage, which continues to frustrate the development of our country”, said MEC Marawu.
“For the upcoming Easter holidays, we will intensify “Operation Asihleki”, which is our Provincial Campaign that contributes to the implementation of the National Rolling Enforcement Plan. Through this plan, the Eastern Cape law enforcement agencies are expected to stop and screen 85 000 vehicles a month”, she added.
MEC Marawu also commended the collaboration between various stakeholders since the day of the accident and the preparation of the memorial service in ensuring that the deceased are laid to rest with dignity.
Recently, it has been observed with dismay that motor vehicles have become the deadliest weapons of mass destruction in the country.
Research shows that Africa’s road deaths of over 200,000 annually will rise by 80% by 2020, by 2015 road crashes will be the number one killer of children aged 5-14 in Africa, outstripping Malaria and HIV and AIDS .”
In South Africa, road crashes result in at least 40 deaths every day, 1 000 deaths every month and 14 000 a year, leaving scores injured.
To combat road carnages, commuters have been urged to play a role by informing law enforcement agencies of any problems they encounter on our roads through calling the department’s customer care centre toll free number: 0800 644 644.
