Transport Minister, Honourable Dikobe Ben Martins has expressed shock and sadness following the death of 15 people in the North West province yesterday. Fifteen people were tragically killed yesterday (Sunday, 30 June 2013) around 12noon on the R510 road at the Sandfontein village offramp in the North West province when a light delivery type vehicle and a bus collided. Twenty-nine (29) other people are reported to have sustained injuries during the crash.
Preliminary reports indicate that the light delivery type vehicle turned into oncoming traffic and collided with the bus. Reports also indicate that all 15 fatalities were from the light delivery type vehicle. A case has been opened with the South African Police Service in Mogwase, North West province.
The Minister has urged the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to speed up the investigation to determine the cause of the crash. The RTMC had by yesterday already dispatched a team of crash and incident reconstruction and investigation experts.
Minister Martins sends his heartfelt and sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes those injured a speedy recovery. He has called on every road user to take personal responsibility in road safety and ensure that South Africa’s roads are not turned into killing fields.
“We wish to repeat our message and call on all South Africans to come together and join hands to stop this carnage on our roads. One death on our roads is one too many. Together, we can save millions of lives on our roads” said Minister Martins.
Inquiries:
Tiyani Rikhotso
Cell: 083 570 1275
