15 lives lost on Mpumalanga roads over the weekend

Fifteen lives were lost over the weekend in road crashes that occurred in various roads across the province.

On the R546 Road between Charl Cilliers and Embalenhle, four lives were lost when two sedans collided head-on.

The crash happened around 06h00 on Saturday.

Three of the victims died at the scene while the fourth person succumbed to the injuries while receiving treatment at the hospital.

In a head-on collision that also took place on Saturday around 18h30, two drivers were killed on R545 Road near Kriel.

READ: Seven killed on R555 road

Three passengers were seriously injured and were rushed by nearby hospitals.

Another head-on collision took place on R555 Road between Middelburg and Stoffberg.

The collision, which occurred around 19h00 on Saturday, claimed seven lives at the scene. The seven include the driver and six passengers in the bakkie. Indications are that the trailer which was drawn by one of the vehicles, got off the hook.

The trailer allegedly went into the front of the oncoming traffic colliding with the bakkie. The driver of the bakkie seemingly lost control and the bakkie then collided head-on with the truck.

On the R544 Road between Kriel and Bethal, two people were killed when the bakkie they were traveling in collided with two articulated trucks.

The crash happened around 19h30 on Saturday and the deceased include the driver and a passenger of the LDV. The investigation into these crashes is underway.

Also Read: Multiple vehicle collision on N12

Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Ms. Gabisile Shabalala is once more calling on motorists to obey the rules because most of these crashes, she believes, could have been avoided had greater care been taken by some of those involved. She says the fact that most of these crashes were head-on collisions, is an indication that most of the crashes were likely caused by human errors

“Motorists should refrain from behaving dangerously on the road as this endangers their lives and that of other innocent road users. We have pleaded many times with motorists to be patient on the road because but our calls are seemingly unheard. We believe that with a change of attitude by most motorists many lives will not be needlessly lost due to deadly road crashes especially on weekends,” the MEC said.

According to the MEC, it remains the responsibility of each and every driver of a vehicle to ensure their safety and those of the people they are transporting. She adds that passengers must not keep quiet when they see that their driver is getting out of hand.
“Passengers must not keep quiet when their lives are put in danger. We cannot have so many deaths in one day because many families are left devastated,” she says.
The MEC meanwhile sends condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.