Seven people were injured three of them seriously following a head-on collision involving a bakkie and a sedan on the N4 Bakwena Platinum highway outside Swartruggens in the North West province on Saturday night.
It is alleged that a Mercedes Benz with four male Zimbabwean nationals collided head-on with a Nissan bakkie that was parked on the side road facing on-coming traffic with its headlights on at around 7:45 pm. The accident occurred between Swartruggens and Rustenburg, about 12 kilometers outside Swartruggens near the Steenbokfontein turnoff.
The driver of the bakkie aged 41 and four males whose ages range from 21 to 40 who were supposedly drinking at the back of the stationary bakkie were flung into the air and landed on the tarred road.
It is suspected that the driver of the Mercedes Benz coming up the rise thought that the bakkiewhich was parked facing on-coming traffic with its headlights on was driving in his lane and veered to the outside of the road in an attempt to avoid an accident only to collide head-on with the bakkie on the side road opposite Smal Game Lodge.
Four of the injured occupants from the bakkie also happened to be Zimbabwean nationals who had just dropped for one of their countrymen employed at the lodge. He had reportedly gone in to call his countrymen’s wives as there are strict rules regarding night visitors to staff employed by the establishment.
Quick action by an off-duty official of the provincial Department of Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison averted a secondary accident from occurring as he wore his Arrive Alive reflective jacket, called for ambulances and diverted speeding traffic from driving over the unconscious injured passengers who lay strewn on the road.
Ambulances from the North West of Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Services and ER24 rushed the injured to Job Shimankana Tabane Provincial Hospital and Swartruggens Provincial Hospital in Rustenburg and Borolelo respectively.
Police are investigating cases of drunken driving, unlawful parking, public drinking and driving an unlicensed vehicle on a public road as the license disc for the Mercedes Benz was found to have expired late last year.
Crates of beers some opened and spilled at the back of the bakkie and in the Mercedes Benz were found at the scene of the accident.
In wishing the injured road users a speedy recovery, North West Acting MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison, Dr Magome Masike condemned the public drinking which is alleged to have contributed towards the cause of the road accident.
MEC Masike appeals to road users to refrain from drinking in motor vehicles and or near public roads.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 381 9171
Cell: 083 629 1987
E-mail: LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
