A total of 21 people died on KwaZulu-Natal roads this weekend including a grade 8 Michaelhouse pupil and his parents.
Garth Finnemore died on Saturday afternoon in an accident with his parents Olivia and Gareth Finnemore.
His brother was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
The school posted on their social media that the family had been travelling home from a Sevens rugby event at Wembley College.
The school said more details would be provided at a later stage.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Finnemore family.”
The South African Sugar Association said they mourned the tragic lost of the Finnemore family. Olivia was a finance executive at the organisation.
“We keep Olivia’s son, Harry, in our thoughts and prayers hoping for his full recovery.”
KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli expressed his profound condolences to the friends and family of those killed in separate crashes.
The two-vehicle collision on the R622 Mooi Plaza at Greytown Road claimed the lives of 11 people, while a taxi crash on the R74 Kranskop Road left 10 people critically injured and six dead.
“I would like to extend my profound condolences to the relatives and friends of those who lost their lives due to a fatal head on collision which took place on the R622, R74 and N2. It is heartbreaking that we continue to mourn the loss of loved ones as a result of road carnage,” said Ntuli.
The Premier’s office said the cause of the collisions are yet unknown adding that investigations were under way.
Ntuli emphasised the importance of daylight driving as it enhances alertness and visibility.
“I advise South African motorists to exercise great caution when driving at night. Road accident statistics continue to highlight to us that a lot of fatal crashes occur in the night time, I would therefore like to continue to echo the importance of daytime driving especially for long distance travels,” said Ntuli
The KZN MEC of Transport Siboniso Duma said sheer number of victims, in just one weekend, calls for drastic actions to be taken by the department, working with key stakeholders and the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
He is expected to hold a media briefing on Monday morning.
IOL News