Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has conveyed condolences to the families of more than 20 people killed in two road crashes during the past 24 hours.
“We want to convey our condolences to the families and relatives of all those killed in these road crashes. We wish the injured a speedy recovery,” said the Minister.
This morning, Monday, 15 March 2010, eight people were reported killed and five others injured when a minibus-taxi overturned on the Mabopane Highway near Rosslyn in Pretoria.
Last night, Sunday, 14 March, 14 people were reported killed and 21 others seriously injured in a road crash between two minibus-taxis and a bakkie in Bothaville in the northern Free State.
Minister Ndebele has re-iterated that public transport operators who compromise the safety of their passengers must be dealt with harshly.
“Over the past few months, we have repeatedly warned public transport operators, particularly operators and drivers of taxis and buses that public transport enforcement will be stepped up. To this end, during the past two months alone (January and February 2010), more than 500 taxis and 200 buses have been removed from the country’s roads and thousands of fines issued for various other public transport offences. Enforcement on these passenger carrying vehicles will be further intensified.
“Certain provinces already have dedicated public transport enforcement units to carry out specialised enforcement operations on specifically public transport vehicles. As government, we will not compromise the safety of innocent commuters. Therefore, those public transport operators and drivers who continue to disregard the law must be punished accordingly,” said the minister.
Meanwhile, officials from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) have been dispatched to visit these families in order to provide necessary assistance to them. The Department of Transport has also dispatched a team of accident investigation and reconstruction specialists to assist in the investigation of these crashes.
Enquiries:
Logan Maistry
Cell: 083 6444 050
Issued by: Department of Transport
15 March 2010
