Transport dept to announce festive season road death toll
This after more than 800 people lost their lives as a result of accidents between December 1 and 19.
Joburg truck and taxi collide left two dead and several others injured in K43 N12 West near Lenasia. Photo Credit: ER24
The 2016 festive season road accident statistics will be announced by Transport Minister Dipuo Peters on Tuesday.
The announcement comes after more people were killed on the country’s roads over the past weekend.
On Monday morning, one person was killed when a minibus taxi overturned on the N1 south.
Johannesburg Metro Police Department spokesperson Superintendent Wayne Minnaar told The Citizen on Monday the incident happened at the Buccleuch interchange.
“We are not sure yet about the exact cause of the accident as investigations are continuing,” he said.
Minnaar said this past weekend also saw a lot of accidents in and around Johannesburg, when many holidaymakers were returning home.
“In Johannesburg alone, at least 74 accidents were reported on our roads.
“With the rain expected to persist this week, we are again calling on motorists to reduce their speed when driving because the roads are slippery when wet,” Minnaar said.
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In North West, a man was killed when two vehicles collided on Elandsrand Road near Carletonville on Monday.
Also in North West, a woman was killed while her three children, including a one-year-old toddler, sustained various injuries when two cars collided head-on on the N12 near Potchefstroom on Sunday night.
On Saturday, 16 people, including six children, were killed in an accident on the N1 south near Hamanskraal after a bakkie and a minibus taxi collided.
On Monday, four people died in a crash involving a minibus taxi in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
The department of transport has said the possibility of the 2016 road deaths being higher than that of the previous festive season could not be ruled out at this stage.
Between December 1 and 19, more than 800 people lost their lives as a result of accidents on South Africa’s roads.
“Since then, the situation might have changed but the minister will announce the official stats on Wednesday,” department spokesperson Ismail Mnisi said.
The 2015 festive season road death toll increased by 14% with 1 755 people killed.
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