Pretoria - Despite the safer season campaign to combat road accidents during the festive season in Limpopo, the numbers of those who have perished have already reached double figures.
Since the beginning of November, 15 people have died on Limpopo’s roads alone.
On Tuesday this week three people were killed instantly while four were seriously injured in an accident involving a Mercedes-Benz mini bus on the N1 South.
Transport and Community Safety department spokesperson Mike Maringa said: “It’s alleged that the minibus had a tyre burst, the driver lost control and it overturned.”
Early last month seven people were killed in a head-on collision between a VW kombi and a Hyundai sedan on the N1 South near Oorlogfontein outside Mokopane.
Maringa said in this instance it was suspected that one of the drivers lost control of the vehicle and drove into on-coming traffic.
“Six people were in the sedan and the kombi driver was alone in the vehicle.”
Another person died on the N1 in the second week after a head-on-collision involving a loaded van and a truck. It was reported that the van had a tyre burst and the driver lost control, crashed into the truck and died on impact, said Maringa.
Barely days later four people were killed and one escaped with serious injuries in a head-on collision involving a small Kia truck and a heavy vehicle on the N1 South near the Baobab tollgate.
“It is alleged that the driver of a small truck was trying to overtake when he crashed into an on-coming truck. Four people from the Kia truck, including the driver, were killed on impact.”
Limpopo is known to attract tourists and those visiting home for the December holidays, making the province’s road accident rate among the highest during the festive season.
However, the rate declined, with 188 fatalities compared to 205 in 2019/2020.
This was credited to the hard lockdown level 4 imposed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in December last year.
Limpopo transport MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya has urged motorists to drive with caution and reduce speed. She sent messages of condolence to the families of the dead.
“Public transport operators must check the condition of their vehicles before every trip. This will go a long way in ensuring that we save lives and also assist in reducing the road carnage this festive season,” she said.
Pretoria News