Picture: Limpopo education department
A tragic head-on collision on the R521 claimed 13 lives, including 10 teachers, leading Limpopo officials to extend their condolences and support to affected families.
On Tuesday, 10 teachers from the Bochum cluster, a taxi driver, and two other drivers died on their way to work when the Toyota minibus they were travelling in collided head-on with a Hyundai HMV truck.
According to the Limpopo Department of Education, most of the teachers were based at primary schools.
The fatal crash took place on the R521 between Polokwane and Dendron, with multiple injuries and fatalities.
Seven of the deceased will be buried this weekend.
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On Tuesday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa conveyed his condolences for the 13 lives that were lost in the tragic collision. He said his thoughts and his heart go out to all the families of the deceased.
“Amid our mourning, we must once again be mindful of our individual and shared responsibility to take care of ourselves and those with whom we share our roads,” the president said.
“Incidents of this kind incur heartache for those closest to the deceased, the loss of household income, and the impact of losing members of our families and communities in whose skills and development the nation has invested.”
The Limpopo Education MEC, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, and Transport and Community Safety MEC, Florence Radzilani, visited the families of teachers and the taxi driver on Friday morning.
“We want to send a message to all the family members to say that our thoughts and prayers are with you, but most importantly, know that we valued the contribution of the teachers that were with us in the department of education; we valued the time that they created outside on their own time to spend with the learners they were educating,” said the education MEC.
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The transport MEC said that the department was still waiting for officials to finalise the formal report on the accident.
“The information I received while I was on the scene when I was briefed by the provincial commissioner and the head of department (HOD) of the department of transport and community safety was that it seems as if the weather condition played its part. Also, on the part of the driver of the truck, it seems as if there were some challenges,” Radzilani said.
She added that this is just the preliminary report and urged the affected families to be patient for the formal report.
Meanwhile, the president urged motorists to pay attention to road and weather conditions but, most importantly, respect human life.
“While the government has reached out to the affected families, we must all work together to the best of our ability to prevent such tragedies from recurring,” Ramaphosa said.
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