Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Vusi Shongwe has called on motorists to use the road with heightened vigilance following the loss of seven lives in two separate crashes on the N4 toll road near Mbombela yesterday.
According to the spokesperson for the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Moeti Mmusi in the first crash, six men were killed in a head-on collision that occurred on the N4 toll road between Kanyamazane and Matsulu near the Gorge.
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“The collision occurred between an Isuzu Truck and a Toyota Fortuner Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV). Six of the deceased were occupants in the SUV and they include the driver and five passengers. The victims are all males and were declared dead at the scene. The two seriously injured people, including the driver of the truck, were rushed to a hospital in Mbombela for medical treatment.”
“In another incident, there was a “t-bone type of collision” between a truck and a sedan this evening on the N4 toll road at Alkmaar towards Mbombela. The driver passed on at the scene. Three people sustained serious injuries and the injured include one adult and two children,” said Mmusi.
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The injured were also rushed to a nearby hospital in Mbombela.
The cause of these two crashes is still under investigation.
“It is disheartening to be losing lives at this rate on our roads especially at night. We are pleading with drivers to obey the rules and drive with extreme caution for their sake and that of other road users. With increased compliance to the rules, deadly crashes will be drastically reduced,” Shongwe said.
The MEC is sending condolences to the bereaved families and is also wishing those who were injured a speedy recovery.
