A total number of 11 people have died in three separate road accidents across Mpumalanga province since Friday.
One person died on Friday when a mini-bus taxi collided with a bakkie in Luphisi road outside Nelspruit. Seven people were admitted at Robs Ferreira Hospital in Nelspruit while eight others were admitted at Themba Hospital in Kabokweni near White River.
Meanwhile, at least four other people died near the Komatipoort, three kilometres from the N4 road towards Mananga Border Post when a vehicle towing another vehicle was hit by a truck on the same road. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the accident.
In another accident, six other people died in a pile-up accident that happened on the N4 road close to the Middelburg/ Hendrina turn-off on Saturday afternoon.
Five of the deceased died on the spot and one was certified dead upon arrival at the Witbank Hospital. More than 10 people were admitted at the Witbank and Middelburg provincial hospitals.
Preliminary investigations indicate that a bakkie travelling towards Witbank from the Belfast direction got stuck on the road and due to poor visibility, a midi-bus hit the bakkie and a truck then collided with the bus. In total, eight vehicles were involved in the accident.
The occupants of the bus were coming from a funeral service in Mpumalanga travelling to various destinations in Gauteng.
The MEC for the Department of Safety, Security and Liaison in Mpumalanga, Mr Vusi Shongwe who was at the scene of the accident and later visited the survivors at the hospitals, was shocked to see many people killed in a single accident, saying it was adding to the previous accidents that claimed the lives of many people in the province in recent weeks.
“The spate of accidents in the province is a course for concern. We are losing many lives due to human error. I urge motorist to exercise more caution on the road in order to avoid being involved in accidents,” he said.
He sent condolences to the families of the deceased and wished for a speedy recovery to those who were admitted to hospitals.
Enquiries
Joseph Mabuza
Tel: 013 766 4055
Cell: 082 678 1450
E-mail: emabuza@mpg.gov.za / elvisjoe@mailbox.co.za
Source: Mpumalanga Department of Safety, Security and Liaison
