At least seven people including father and son died instantly in two separate accidents in the Litchtenburg area (North West) in one day. North West MEC for Public Works, Transport and Roads, Mahlakeng Mahlakeng, expressed shock and urged road users to be extremely cautious at all times.
“The greatest challenge we have is to increase road safety education and awareness among all road users, especially drivers and pedestrians.
The onus is not just on government to reduce road fatalities. We are all in this together and together we can reduce unnecessary loss of life on our roads if we make arrive alive campaign one of our daily rituals,” Mahlakeng said.
In the first accident, five people died instantly in a pre-dawn head-on collision on the Itsoseng-Verdwaal road next to the Verdwaal Stadium.
Three of the victims travelling in a Toyota Conquest were colleagues at the company contracted by Atamaleng Bus operators in Mafikeng as bus inspectors.
They were off-duty at the time of the accident. The fourth victim, a passenger in the same vehicle, was a middle aged woman from Zeerust. The fifth victim was an unidentified driver of the Volkswagen Jetta. He was alone in the vehicle.
Emergency personnel had to use jaws of life for hours to free the five bodies from the wreckage. In a separate accident on the Biesiesvlei Litchtenburg road, a father and son died instantly when the vehicle they were travelling veered off the road and overturned. It appeared the father lost control of the vehicle on a curving section of the road.
Enquiries:
Matshube Mfoloe
Tel: 018 387 2447
Cell: 082 305 4594
E-mail: mmfoloe@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Public Works, Transport and Roads, North West Provincial Government
1 June 2009
Source: Department of Public Works, Transport and Roads, North West Provincial Government (http://www.nwpg.gov.za/)
