CRAIG Payne of Hibberdene, his pregnant wife and one-year-old child were badly traumatised when their vehicle was apparently forced off the road by an Ugu vehicle near the traffic lights at the Port Shepstone Regional Hospital recently.
According to Mr Payne, the Ugu branded van with the registration NPS 65101 was travelling at high speed, centimetres away from his bumper when they passed through Southport.
“He was so close that I could hardly see his headlights. He then proceeded to overtake me on a solid barrier line. When I finally caught up with him at the traffic lights, I questioned him on his careless driving. He then began swinging his arms angrily and using vulgar language,” said Mr Payne.
“After the traffic lights turned green, he accelerated and forced my vehicle off the road and into the kerb, causing extensive damage. I did not believe that residents of the South Coast were prone to road rage, especially drivers in company vehicles, but this driver’s ego was obviously over inflated and he did not care that he had scared the living daylights out of us.”
Mr Payne’s car was assessed by a panel beater and the damages are close to R12 000.
Ugu District Municipality spokesman, Sipho Khuzwayo said Ugu is an organisation that ‘encourages working together to create an environment that is friendly, responsive, accountable, effective and efficient for local communities’.
“It is with regret that such an incident occurred, where it is alleged that one of our drivers drove recklessly in a company vehicle. The municipality will launch an internal investigation into the matter and if the said employee is found to be at fault, the employee will be called to a disciplinary hearing. In the interim, the municipality must be granted ample time to conduct proper internal investigations and follow proper process,” he said.
