Pretoria - Mpumalanga MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Vusi Shongwe, has once again reiterated calls for motorists to be cautious on the road, following a horrific crash that claimed six lives on the N11.
The head-on collision happened on Monday night on the N11 between Middelburg and Grobblersdal towards Loskop Dam.
Shongwe said the increasing number of fatalities on the roads is alarming.
"We have lost many lives on the road within a short space of time. This can never be accepted. It is, therefore, important for everyone who uses the road to be an active participant in the fight against lawlessness and road crashes,” said Shongwe.
“Government alone cannot win the fight against road carnage. We need everyone to play their part by always adhering to the rules of the road and by reporting those who disregard the law.”
Shongwe has sent “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the deceased.
Provincial traffic authorities in Mpumalanga said an articulated truck and a sedan collided head-on Monday night and left six occupants of the sedan dead.
“All six occupants died on the spot. They include the driver and a toddler, who was about a year old,” said Mpumalanga community safety spokesperson Moeti Mmusi.
“The truck was coming from the direction of Middelburg, and the sedan was coming from the opposite direction.”
Last week, the provincial authorities announced that the number of fatalities in the horrific Mpumalanga crash where learners were killed had increased to nine, following the discovery of another body just metres away from the taxi crash scene.
The crash happened on the D267 Road between Dundonald and Mayflower, as the minibus taxi was transporting learners home after school on Wednesday. The body of the ninth learner was found on Thursday.
“The body was discovered following a search operation that was conducted by the police, working closely with the community and other stakeholders,” the Mpumalanga department of education and the department of community safety, security and liaison said.
“It is believed that the body fell in the river upon impact, and it was trapped in between rocks.”
On Wednesday, the bodies of seven learners were salvaged from the crash scene. An eighth learner died after being transported to a hospital.
“Ten passengers sustained moderate to serious injuries, and they are currently receiving treatment in hospital,” the Mpumalanga provincial departments said.
The learners involved in the horrific crash were between 5 years old and 13 years old.
The driver of the minibus taxi was arrested and charged with nine counts of culpable homicide, failure to an produce operating licence, overloading and operating a vehicle that is not roadworthy.
IOL