One killed, two hurt in Cofimvaba crash

One person was killed and two were injured when a vehicle with three occupants overturned at Mbinzana village in Cofimvaba on Saturday at about 4pm.

“Two people were rushed to hospital with serious injuries and one died on the scene,” provincial transport department spokesperson Unathi Binqose said on Sunday.

Binqose said the road death toll figures would be released by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) in due course and that there had been about 90 road deaths in the province.

He blamed  speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and fatigue for the carnage.

Fatigue was of great concern with people driving for long distances, many from  Cape Town.

“We call for people to be extra vigilant because we believe the majority of accidents are avoidable.

“We urge people to obey the rules,” he said.

Traffic volumes would rise over the New Year’s Eve period, he added.

Binqose said people had started heading to the beaches en masse from December 26.

“Our focus now is shifting towards our coastal areas."

Buffalo City Metro’s beaches had been without serious incident over the weekend, city spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said on Sunday.

There have been 13 drownings on these beaches since December 1, the latest at Kidds Beach on Thursday.

Port St Johns municipal spokesperson Phelokazi Pellem said their beaches, too, were without incident over the weekend.

Pellem said there had been no problem with the park-and-hike decision by council which  closed Second Beach to parking, with  beachgoers charged R200 to park on municipal ground known as Mangrove 1km away.

“Everything had been under control,” she said. ​​

Pellem said people also had the option of parking for free at the PSJ sports ground and then taking a taxi to the beach.