TRAFFIC on the busy N2 route was blocked for more than five hours yesterday after a 22-wheel truck overturned near Sibangweni village near Mthatha.
The South African Breweries (SAB) truck delivering beverages from Isipingo in KwaZulu-Natal to Mthatha overturned about 15km outside Mthatha after trying to avoid hitting stray livestock according to Arrive Alive Eastern Cape provincial spokesman Tshepo Machaea.
“It is not yet clear what happened but it seems there were cows on the road that the driver was trying to avoid hitting and the truck overturned,” he said.
The accident reportedly happened around 6am.
The driver of the truck, Thomas Moyo, who escaped unhurt, told the Daily Dispatch he had seen two cows on the road.
“Unfortunately there were oncoming cars in the other lane so I couldn't go to that side. I pushed the truck towards the side of the road where it hit an embankment before overturning,” said the 34-year-old.
Minutes after the accident, residents of nearby villages swarmed over the truck. Within an hour they had ransacked it of its contents.
Empty beer crates lay scattered near the truck and the area was littered with broken beer bottles.
Traffic officials and police watched helplessly as people, some who arrived in cars, looted.
A motorist seen loading empty crates into his car said he was not interested in the beer but needed the crates as he ran a tavern.
Traffic officers had to redirect traffic from both sides to a dirt road in Sibangweni.
Some drivers complained they worked on a tight schedule and would not make their deliveries on time.
Contacted after 11am yesterday, Machaea said a portion of the N2 had been opened after part of the truck had been moved from the road.
He said people had forced open other trucks blocked by the SAB truck to check what was inside.
“We fear that criminal elements might crop up now because other trucks are also being targeted,” he said. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
Residents ransack overturned truck
The South African Breweries (SAB) truck delivering beverages from Isipingo in KwaZulu-Natal to Mthatha overturned about 15km outside Mthatha after trying to avoid hitting stray livestock according to Arrive Alive Eastern Cape provincial spokesman Tshepo Machaea.
“It is not yet clear what happened but it seems there were cows on the road that the driver was trying to avoid hitting and the truck overturned,” he said.
The accident reportedly happened around 6am.
The driver of the truck, Thomas Moyo, who escaped unhurt, told the Daily Dispatch he had seen two cows on the road.
“Unfortunately there were oncoming cars in the other lane so I couldn't go to that side. I pushed the truck towards the side of the road where it hit an embankment before overturning,” said the 34-year-old.
Minutes after the accident, residents of nearby villages swarmed over the truck. Within an hour they had ransacked it of its contents.
Empty beer crates lay scattered near the truck and the area was littered with broken beer bottles.
Traffic officials and police watched helplessly as people, some who arrived in cars, looted.
A motorist seen loading empty crates into his car said he was not interested in the beer but needed the crates as he ran a tavern.
Traffic officers had to redirect traffic from both sides to a dirt road in Sibangweni.
Some drivers complained they worked on a tight schedule and would not make their deliveries on time.
Contacted after 11am yesterday, Machaea said a portion of the N2 had been opened after part of the truck had been moved from the road.
He said people had forced open other trucks blocked by the SAB truck to check what was inside.
“We fear that criminal elements might crop up now because other trucks are also being targeted,” he said. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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