A distraught North West MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety & Liaison, Ms Desbo Mohono has described the crash in which 14 people died and 2 others were injured as catastrophic. The collision that involved a taxi and a bakkie occurred on the N4 Bakwena Highway outside Zeerust on Friday morning.
The head on collision suspected to have been caused by speeding occurred just before 7:00am, at Abjatterskop, about 4 kilometers outside Zeerust towards Groot Marico.
Ten of the passengers who died at the horrific scene of the accident were in the Toyota Quantum minibus which was driving from Zeerust towards Groot Marico. The deceased are said to be educators who were from Mahikeng on their way to a National Professional Teachers Organisation South Africa (NAPTOSA) workshop in Rustenburg.
Four people who were in the Toyota bakkie that was reportedly from Rustenburg towards Zeerust also died at the scene of the accident while the driver of the minibus and two female passengers were rushed to Zeerust Provincial Hospital with critical injuries. Both vehicles burned out after the collision.
Police are investigating cases of culpable homicide, reckless and or negligent driving.
MEC Mohono is saddened by the untimely loss of lives in the horrific accident and wishes to convey her condolences to the families of the road users who lost their loved ones in the tragic accident and wishes the injured road users a speedy recovery.
“While one death on our road is a death too many, this enormous loss has left us numb with shock. It happens during the week in which our Provincial Road Traffic Management Unit embarked on special operations in response to the high spate of crashes involving public passenger transport vehicles in support of the Special National Public Transport Enforcement Plan” said Mohono.
MEC Mohono also extended her condolences to education stakeholders, communities, colleagues and learners who lost their educators in the accident and to NAPTOSA as an organisation that lost its members”.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 391 0420
Fax:018 381 0328
Cell:083 629 1987
E-mail: Lkgwele@nwpg.gov.za
