More than 20 people, including a soldier based in Grahamstown, lost their lives on roads across the province at the weekend.
Scores more were injured, some critically.
Yesterday provincial transport spokesman Ncedo Kumbaca said 22 people had been killed in 11 separate accidents between Friday and yesterday. He attributed the high toll to bad weather.
On Saturday evening, a driver was killed on the R72 between Port Alfred and Alexandria when his vehicle hit a stray kudu. Authorities said this was a third accident involving a kudu in the past week.
Also on Saturday, three family members in a Polo Vivo died when their vehicle collided head-on with a Toyota Quantum on the N2 between Butterworth and Dutywa. Sixteen other passengers were injured in that crash and taken to Butterworth Hospital. One of those who died was the Polo driver.
Police spokesman Captain Jackson Manatha said the accident happened at about 1pm near Thanga village. Police believed the Quantum was coming from the Butterworth direction and the Polo from the Dutywa side.
“The three occupants of the Polo, a 59-year-old male driver and two female passengers aged 27 and 24, died on the spot. A fourth male passenger, whose age could not be confirmed, was seriously injured and rushed to Butterworth hospital,” Manatha said.
In Cala on Saturday afternoon, one person was killed and eleven others sustained serious injuries when the vehicle they were travelling in overturned.
In the Kei Cuttings, also on Saturday, seven passengers were critically injured travelling from Mthatha to attend a funeral in Mdantsane. They were all admitted to the Butterworth Hospital.
Kumbaca said another vehicle with two occupants was swept into an overflowing river in Centane yesterday morning. The occupants were discovered dead by divers from East London police later that day.
Another bakkie on the R72 overturned yesterday morning at about 3am, killing instantly its driver.
Kumbaca said a SANDF soldier died on Saturday in an accident while he was towing another military vehicle.
Four people – a taxi driver and three passengers – were killed in a head-on collision between an Avanza and a Quantum on the Mdantsane Access road, also know as the Black Road, on Saturday morning.
Nine other passengers were rushed to Frere Hospital and were said to be unconscious and in critical condition.
Kumbaca said on Saturday morning three people lost their lives in a car crash on the N10 north of Middelburg just at the Eastern Cape border.
Also on Saturday, Kumbaca added, two people died on the N2 between East London and King William’s Town.
He said there was one fatality yesterday near Flagstaff and another fatality near Ngcobo on Friday night.
Speaking to Dispatch, Kumbaca said heavy rain and fog had resulted in poor driving visibility.
“Most of these accidents on our provincial roads were as a result of bad weather conditions. As the department we call upon all motorists to exercise extra caution when driving under such conditions,” Kumbaca said.
According to Kumbaca, one pedestrian died in the Mthatha CBD after being hit by a car in York Road, while another pedestrian was fatally injured on the N2 between Qumbu and Mthatha near Mrhambeni Village on Friday. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Bad weather blamed for spate of accidents that cost 22 lives
Scores more were injured, some critically.
Yesterday provincial transport spokesman Ncedo Kumbaca said 22 people had been killed in 11 separate accidents between Friday and yesterday. He attributed the high toll to bad weather.
On Saturday evening, a driver was killed on the R72 between Port Alfred and Alexandria when his vehicle hit a stray kudu. Authorities said this was a third accident involving a kudu in the past week.
Also on Saturday, three family members in a Polo Vivo died when their vehicle collided head-on with a Toyota Quantum on the N2 between Butterworth and Dutywa. Sixteen other passengers were injured in that crash and taken to Butterworth Hospital. One of those who died was the Polo driver.
Police spokesman Captain Jackson Manatha said the accident happened at about 1pm near Thanga village. Police believed the Quantum was coming from the Butterworth direction and the Polo from the Dutywa side.
“The three occupants of the Polo, a 59-year-old male driver and two female passengers aged 27 and 24, died on the spot. A fourth male passenger, whose age could not be confirmed, was seriously injured and rushed to Butterworth hospital,” Manatha said.
In Cala on Saturday afternoon, one person was killed and eleven others sustained serious injuries when the vehicle they were travelling in overturned.
In the Kei Cuttings, also on Saturday, seven passengers were critically injured travelling from Mthatha to attend a funeral in Mdantsane. They were all admitted to the Butterworth Hospital.
Kumbaca said another vehicle with two occupants was swept into an overflowing river in Centane yesterday morning. The occupants were discovered dead by divers from East London police later that day.
Another bakkie on the R72 overturned yesterday morning at about 3am, killing instantly its driver.
Kumbaca said a SANDF soldier died on Saturday in an accident while he was towing another military vehicle.
Four people – a taxi driver and three passengers – were killed in a head-on collision between an Avanza and a Quantum on the Mdantsane Access road, also know as the Black Road, on Saturday morning.
Nine other passengers were rushed to Frere Hospital and were said to be unconscious and in critical condition.
Kumbaca said on Saturday morning three people lost their lives in a car crash on the N10 north of Middelburg just at the Eastern Cape border.
Also on Saturday, Kumbaca added, two people died on the N2 between East London and King William’s Town.
He said there was one fatality yesterday near Flagstaff and another fatality near Ngcobo on Friday night.
Speaking to Dispatch, Kumbaca said heavy rain and fog had resulted in poor driving visibility.
“Most of these accidents on our provincial roads were as a result of bad weather conditions. As the department we call upon all motorists to exercise extra caution when driving under such conditions,” Kumbaca said.
According to Kumbaca, one pedestrian died in the Mthatha CBD after being hit by a car in York Road, while another pedestrian was fatally injured on the N2 between Qumbu and Mthatha near Mrhambeni Village on Friday. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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