Limpopo records 3rd highest amount of road fatalities in SA
The province contributed 14% of the total of road fatalities during the Easter long weekend.
LIMPOPO – Road accidents claimed more than 30 lives during the Easter weekend period, Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula, announced on Thursday, 8 April. Mbalula conveyed the Easter road traffic statistics at a briefing held at the N1 Grasmere Toll Plaza.
A total of 235 people lost their lives on South African roads in 189 crashes this past long weekend, with Limpopo recording 34 deaths in 27 fatal crashes.
According to the preliminary figures, 189 crashes were recorded, resulting in 235 fatalities nationwide.
The provincial breakdown is as follows. https://t.co/njpwyBbB9w pic.twitter.com/stynS6emZa
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) April 8, 2021
Vhembe district recorded the most deaths (11), followed by Sekhukhune with nine. The Capricorn district recorded six deaths, five were reported in Waterberg and three in the Mopani district. In 2019, the department recorded 27 road fatalities on Limpopo roads during the same period.
According to Mbalula, this year’s Easter statistics were compared to the 2019 Easter statistics as the 2020 period was characterised by a hard lockdown, which restricted inter-provincial travel and movement between districts.
“In 2019, there were 193 crashes, which resulted in 260 fatalities and preliminary figures for the Easter road traffic statistics indicate that law enforcement efforts yielded positive results, with the number of crashes being reduced by 2,1% and fatalities by 9,6%.”
Our relative success can be attributed to early preparation with education and awareness campaigns in communities, increased visibility of law enforcement officers, stakeholder involvement and a high-profile media campaign. https://t.co/CIarxCeKZU pic.twitter.com/uRI4oyixPN
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) April 8, 2021
The N1/N4 recorded a total of 120 573 vehicles passing through tollgates between Gauteng, Limpopo and the North West. Traffic backups were reported along the N1 northbound on 1 April and the southbound on 5 April with around 2 000 vehicles passing through the Nyl and Kranskop toll plazas during the peak periods.
Read more: [VIDEOS] Heavy traffic on N1 southbound
On 1 April, two people died in a head-on collision between a bakkie and sedan on the R524 at Ratombo village in the Vhembe district.
Two other people sustained critical injuries and were transported to the Tshilidzini Hospital for medical treatment. Preliminary investigations revealed reckless driving as a possible cause of the accident.
Meanwhile, on 3 April, eight people lost their lives in separate collisions in the Sekhukhune, Waterberg and Mopani districts, respectively. Four people were killed in a crash on the D856, while one person passed away following an incident on the R81.
Read more: Five more fatalities recorded on Limpopo roads
Another three people lost their lives in a head-on collision along the R101 between Maubane and Pienaarsrivier Dekman Farm.
