Six people were killed on Eastern Cape roads over the weekend in three separate incidents. Arrive Alive spokesman Tshepo Machaea said one of the worst incidents occurred in Jamestown on Friday night when two cars collided.
One of them “burst into flames and its three occupants were burnt beyond recognition”.
“Four occupants of the second vehicle were rushed to hospital in a serious condition.”
Machaea said it was not clear yet how the accident happened or where the vehicles were coming from and heading to.
In an unrelated incident, a truck driver was killed on the N2 while driving along the Thina Cuttings between Mount Frere and Qumbu.
Machaea said the truck overturned at about 5pm on Saturday, killing the driver instantly.
The third accident occurred near Tsolo when a car plunged into five pedestrians, killing two of them instantly and injuring the other three.
Transport department’s provincial spokesman Ncedo Kumbaca said MEC Weziwe Tikana’s office was shocked to learn about the high number of accidents and lives lost in just three days.
“As we move towards the festive season, this serves as a warning to all of us to pull out all stops to avoid the bad and undesired driving on our roads,” he said.
Road safety was every road user’s responsibility, not the sole responsibility of government.
Police records show 30 accidents on Eastern Cape roads between Friday and yesterday afternoon.
Another serious accident was at the Mthentu Cutting near Mthatha yesterday morning, when a VW Polo Vivo driver lost control after swerving to avoid an overtaking car.
A mother and her two children of three and two years were seriously injured after the vehicle rolled down a 30m embankment. They were rushed to the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha.
Provincial traffic officer Sizwe Somhlahlo described the weekend as a nightmare. “Seven accidents were reported within an hour and I had to attend to all of them,” he said.
Machaea said Eastern Cape roads were bad, but this weekend drivers were mostly to blame.
He blamed alcohol and substance abuse, reckless and negligent driving, unroadworthy vehicles, overtaking on blind rises and a total disregard for the rules of the road.
Kumbaca announced that the MEC has summoned all public transport operators, law enforcement agencies and municipalities to a meeting today, in an effort to address lawlessness on the province’s roads. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
Horror deaths on EC roads
One of them “burst into flames and its three occupants were burnt beyond recognition”.
“Four occupants of the second vehicle were rushed to hospital in a serious condition.”
Machaea said it was not clear yet how the accident happened or where the vehicles were coming from and heading to.
In an unrelated incident, a truck driver was killed on the N2 while driving along the Thina Cuttings between Mount Frere and Qumbu.
Machaea said the truck overturned at about 5pm on Saturday, killing the driver instantly.
The third accident occurred near Tsolo when a car plunged into five pedestrians, killing two of them instantly and injuring the other three.
Transport department’s provincial spokesman Ncedo Kumbaca said MEC Weziwe Tikana’s office was shocked to learn about the high number of accidents and lives lost in just three days.
“As we move towards the festive season, this serves as a warning to all of us to pull out all stops to avoid the bad and undesired driving on our roads,” he said.
Road safety was every road user’s responsibility, not the sole responsibility of government.
Police records show 30 accidents on Eastern Cape roads between Friday and yesterday afternoon.
Another serious accident was at the Mthentu Cutting near Mthatha yesterday morning, when a VW Polo Vivo driver lost control after swerving to avoid an overtaking car.
A mother and her two children of three and two years were seriously injured after the vehicle rolled down a 30m embankment. They were rushed to the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha.
Provincial traffic officer Sizwe Somhlahlo described the weekend as a nightmare. “Seven accidents were reported within an hour and I had to attend to all of them,” he said.
Machaea said Eastern Cape roads were bad, but this weekend drivers were mostly to blame.
He blamed alcohol and substance abuse, reckless and negligent driving, unroadworthy vehicles, overtaking on blind rises and a total disregard for the rules of the road.
Kumbaca announced that the MEC has summoned all public transport operators, law enforcement agencies and municipalities to a meeting today, in an effort to address lawlessness on the province’s roads. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
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