Easter weekend: 22 deaths recorded in accidents in three provinces so far

A total of 22 people have lost their lives following car crashes in the three provinces during the Easter weekend so far.

Eleven fatalities have been recorded in the Western Cape, while there were also seven deaths confirmed in Limpopo and four in Mpumalanga.

Western Cape

The Western Cape saw an accident between a minibus and a bus, which happened in the early hours of Friday, 15 April.

“Major crash on the N1 at Leeu Gamka, 11 fatalities. It is alleged that the minibus suffered a tyre failure.

“The bus, travelling from Beaufort West side towards Cape Town, drove into the minibus. Recovery and rescue operations are still underway,”  the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said in a tweet on Friday.

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According to the Western Cape Department of Transport, 13 people were also injured in the incident.

“My sincere condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the crash this morning and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured. We urge road users to be extra vigilant this long weekend,” Transport and Public Works MEC, Daylin Mitchell said.

Limpopo crashes

Review Online reported on Saturday that seven people were killed in separate incidents on Limpopo’s roads so far.

The first accident was reported on the D11 road at Sekgosese in the Mopani district, according to Limpopo Department of Transport spokesperson, Mike Maringa.

“The driver of a sedan lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree in the early hours of Friday morning. He was certified dead at the scene and reckless driving and speeding is suspected to be the cause of the incident,” he said.

Maringa said the second crash was reported near Solomondale in the Capricorn district.

“A sedan driver lost control of his vehicle which then overturned. A 32-year-old passenger was killed on impact, while the driver escaped with serious injuries,” he continued.

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He added that speeding was cited as a possible cause of the incident.

The third accident was a multi-vehicle crash on the D3260 Selwane road in the Mopani district, where one person was killed and 13 were injured.

“It is believed that an over-loaded bakkie collided with a sedan before crashing head-on with another sedan. A male passenger of one of the vehicles was killed on impact,” Maringa said.

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Two more fatal accidents occurred around 10pm on Friday night and earlier on Saturday.

Friday’s incident was recorded in Makhado.

“A pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run on the N1,” he added.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s incident happpened the R510 near Northam in the Waterberg district when two cars collided head-on.

“One of the drivers in his 30s was killed while the other driver sustained moderate injuries. The incident occurred at around 06:30am and reckless driving has been cited as a possible cause,” Maringa said.

Mpumalanga

Four people, who were travelling to Mpumalanga, were killed in the early hours of Friday.

RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane told eNCA that nine were also injured in the incident which saw two mini-buses colliding on the N17 between Leandra and Kinross, Mpumalanga.

Mbalula sends warning

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Tuesday launched the Easter road safety campaign.

Mbalula warned motorists against disobeying the law over the Easter long weekend, with road deaths being on an upward trajectory this year.

The minister said the busiest routes this time of the year were the N1 from Gauteng to Limpopo, the N3 from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal, the N2 from the Western Cape to Eastern Cape, the N14 to from Gauteng to the North-West and the N12.

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He further said law enforcement will focus on the use of safety belts, the roadworthiness of vehicles, fatigue, drunk driving, pedestrian safety and dangerous driving which includes speeding, recklessness and overtaking on barrier lines while they conduct road blocks.

The Easter 2021 road statistics recorded 189 crashes and 235 fatalities nationwide between 2 and 5 April.

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