Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has conveyed condolences to the families of four teenagers killed by two motorists who were allegedly drag racing in Soweto yesterday afternoon, Monday, 8 March 2010. "We want to convey our condolences to the families and friends of the four teenagers killed by two motorists who were allegedly drag racing in Soweto yesterday afternoon, 8 March 2010.
We wish the injured a speedy recovery. This is an unnecessary loss of innocent young lives and therefore those who are found guilty must face the full wrath of the law. Officials from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) will be visiting these families to provide necessary assistance to them during their time of bereavement. The Department of Transport has also dispatched a team of accident investigation and reconstruction specialists to assist in the investigation of this crash.
“As mentioned at the national Road Safety Summit on 26 February 2010, we have called upon law enforcement agencies to step up enforcement against illegal drag racing. In certain provinces, there are already specialised task teams in place and special operations targeting illegal drag racing. We cannot dice with death and play games on our roads. Therefore, motorists who engage in such illegal activities must be apprehended and face the consequences of their actions.
“The global status report on road safety in Africa indicates that 62 percent of reported road crashes involve vulnerable road users, which include pedestrians. A matter of great concern is that it is the poorest communities who live alongside busy highways and deadly roads. It is the poorest children who have to negotiate the most dangerous routes to school. We have no other option but to act individually and collectively. It is time for all of us to commit to a Decade of Action for Road Safety. The children of today, the drivers of the future, must lead the shift from a culture of lawlessness to a new culture which values one’s life and treasures that of others,” said the Minister.
Meanwhile, more than eleven people were killed on the country’s roads over the past 24 hours. Earlier today, Tuesday, 9 March 2010, three construction workers were killed and several others injured in a road crash near Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal.
Yesterday, 8 March 2010, two men and a woman were killed when a bakkie drove into a group of cyclists outside Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape.
Also yesterday, 8 March 2010, four people were killed and nine others injured when a minibus-taxi overturned on the N4 in Pretoria. "We want to convey our condolences to the families and relatives of all those killed in these road crashes. Community Road Safety Councils will soon be part of every municipality in the country. We want as many stakeholders as possible to actively participate in these Road Safety Councils, which will empower communities to identify road safety challenges and interventions in their respective localities and to act as ambassadors for road safety,” the Minister said.
Enquiries:
Logan Maistry
Cell: 083 6444 050
Issued by: Department of Transport
9 March 2010
