MEDIA STATEMENT

TWENTY-FIVE PEOPLE KILLED ON KWAZULU-NATAL ROADS THIS WEEKEND

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport has extended his condolences to the families and relatives of those killed in various collisions around the province this weekend. Mr S bu Ndebele urged other motorists to exercise extreme caution on our roads following a spate of collisions mainly attributed to driver error.

Twenty-Four people lost their lives in road crashes on KwaZulu-Natal roads since Friday (04/07/03) and up to midday on Sunday(06/07/03) arising from ten fatal collisions. Tragically eleven people were killed on Friday evening along the N11 at Ladysmith when a truck collided head on with four vehicles. One person remains critical including twelve others who were taken to the Ladysmith Provincial Hospital with various injuries. The Transport Portfolio Committee and officials of the Department of Transport will be visiting the site of the collision as well as the injured at the Ladysmith Provincial Hospital tomorrow (07/07/03).

Four other fatal collisions also occurred on Friday evening with three passengers killed and the driver and another passenger seriously injured after their vehicle overturned along the Loskop Road outside Estcourt in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. The driver and his passenger remain critical at the Estcourt Provincial Hospital. It is believed that speed and alcohol resulted in this unnecessary loss of lives. Two pedestrians were knocked and killed instantly along the N3 at the Chatterton Road Turnoff, Pietermaritzburg and at the Cedara Turnoff close to Howick. Finally on Friday evening two people were killed and eight others seriously injured including both drivers of bakkies after they collided head on along the R618 between Nongoma and Matubatuba. The injured were removed to the Benediction Hospital at Nongoma.

An ambulance enroute to an emergency call on Saturday evening collided head on with a bus along the N2 at Paddock on the KwaZulu South Coast. Upon impact the ambulance caught alight and the ambulance attendant who was trapped and killed in the ambulance after being partially burnt by the flames. The driver of the ambulance escaped with injuries. The driver of the bus belonging to Bonga Coach Tours based in Port Shepstone who is alleged to be under the influence of alcohol was arrested and charged for one count of culpable homicide, drinking and driving and reckless and negligent driving. The R603 Umlaas Road Intersection close to Camperdown claimed another two lives on Saturday evening after the driver of a minibus taxi disregarded the stop sign and collided into a heavy motor vehicle. The driver and a passenger from the minibus taxi were killed instantly. Two other passengers were seriously injured and twelve others escaped with minor injuries. This intersection is fast becoming a black spot area due to the frequency of collisions occurring over the past two months. The matter has been referred to the Road Safety Engineers and to Asiphephe to analyse and prevent further collisions occurring.

Sunday morning (06/07/03) at about 07h00 a minibus taxi driver fully laden with passengers rear- ended a heavy motor vehicle travelling along the N3 at Van Reenen Pass , southbound carriageway. Upon impact one passenger was killed instantly another is in a serious condition and six others including the driver escaped with minor injuries. Speed and lack of sleep are believed to have caused this collision. The injured were taken to the Ladysmith Provincial Hospital.

At the same time on Sunday morning there was a head on collision between a Pajero 4x4 and a heavy motor vehicle from Swaziland. The driver of the Pajero who was alone in is vehicle was killed along with the driver of the Heavy Motor Vehicle. Two of the passengers from the heavy motor vehicle survived the collision with minor injuries. The M4 between Umhlanga and Virginia was closed to traffic for most of the day for recovery of the heavy motor vehicle which landed down the bank with the use of a crane. The drainage system and the embankment of the road is damaged and the road engineers were called in to assess the situation. Finally on Sunday morning there was a collision between two motorcyclists along the M19 at St Georges Bridge in the vicinity of the Blair Atholl Turnoff. One motorcyclist was killed instantly while the other was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. 

Despite traffic officers working additional overtime hours and carrying out extra law enforcement duties over the weekend the response from the public has not been sufficient to promote a safer road environment.

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