Durban — Seven people were killed in a crash between a car and taxi in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday evening, resulting in the vehicles catching fire.
KwaZulu Private Ambulance (KZPA) service spokesperson Chantell Botha said that on Saturday evening, the ambulance service responded to Wembezi Road in Estcourt for reports of a collision.
Botha said that when emergency services arrived, they found a car and a taxi involved in a head-on collision, resulting in both vehicles catching fire.
“Paramedics quickly assessed the scene and found that 15 patients had sustained injuries ranging from serious to critical. The patients were treated and stabilised on the scene before being transported to the hospital for further treatment,” Botha said.
“Sadly seven occupants sustained fatal injuries and succumbed to their injuries before emergency services arrived.”
Botha added that the cause of the collision is unknown but authorities are investigating.
Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said that a case of culpable homicide was opened at Estcourt SAPS for investigation.
Ngcobo said that eight people were declared dead on the scene after a minibus and a light motor vehicle collided and caught fire.
KZPA and the Department of Transport were approached to find out if the death toll had risen to eight but they had not responded by the time of publication.
Following the crash, KZN Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Sipho Hlomuka expressed his “utter disgust” as road users continued to disregard traffic violations as the October Transport Month campaign drew to its conclusion.
The department said that the crash happened around 7.45pm between a minibus taxi and a Toyota Corolla. The minibus taxi is believed to have been travelling from Estcourt town to Wembezi township.
It said that a multi-disciplinary team of law enforcement is currently investigating the cause of the accident. Cases of culpable homicide are also being investigated.
It also added that paramedics, the South African Police Services and the Road Traffic Inspectorate had to work until the late hours of the day to clear the scene.
Reacting to the crash, Hlomuka called on road users to respect the traffic laws, saying everyone has a duty to save human lives on the road.
“This is yet another painful accident in the province. Sadly, this is happening as we are closing the October Transport Month, where we are still going to take stock of our road safety and enforcement campaigns. The team of investigators is currently working on the details of what transpired resulting in this tragic accident. We call on road users to take responsibility and save lives on the road. We also wish to send our heartfelt condolences to all the affected families,” Hlomuka said.
He said that the department is going to give a full account of the October Transport Month campaign, which was characterised by massive enforcement operations and visibility. The majority of these campaigns were led by the members of the provincial executive council, which is an indication that the government is taking the issue of safety on the road very seriously.
Hlomuka said that the government and stakeholders will build from the successes of the October Transport Month to prepare for the Festive Season Safety campaign.
“This is no time to surrender or retreat. We will soldier on emboldened by the progress we made during the October Transport Month campaign. Ours is to make sure that we deliver a safer festive season period. All law enforcement agencies are joining hands to prepare for the festive season and take the fight against lawlessness to another level. We want to make sure that people are safe in communities and are safe on the road,” concludes Hlomuka.
Daily News