Pretoria - The deaths of 11 people, including five women and three children, yesterday morning when a truck and a taxi collided in the Free State, has brought more attention to accidents involving heavy duty vehicles.
President of the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), Abner Tsebe, called on the government and law enforcement authorities to look closely into road accidents involving trucks.
Tsebe was at Bosman Taxi Rank in Pretoria engaging holidaymakers and taxi drivers embarking on long-distance trips.
The visit also coincided with the launch of the taxi industry’s operation Hlokomela, a festive season road safety campaign.
Tsebe said he was hurt by the accident that occurred on the N1, 20km before Verkeerdevlei Toll Plaza to Winburg, allegedly caused by the truck and not the taxi.
According to Emergency Management Services spokesperson Sipho Towa, they went to the scene at 3.25am and found bodies lying around and some trapped in the taxi. The truck driver escaped unharmed.
A couple of months ago, 15 people died in another accident when a truck collided with a bus just outside Ga-Rankuwa, prompting Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to raise concerns about trucks killing people on “smaller routes” they should not be using.
Last month, a bus and a truck were involved in an accident on the N8 near Botshabelo outside Bloemfontein in Free State. The accident killed nine people and left many others with varying injuries.
Before that, the country has been rocked by other accidents involving trucks, which killed people. Subsequently, Mbalula announced last week that he was proud that the National Prosecuting Authority had dedicated a team of prosecutors to investigate accidents involving trucks.
Tsebe told Pretoria News he was happy the government was willing to look closely at this issue of trucks being involved in accidents that kill a lot of people when they crash into smaller vehicles.
“We need to also look at the taxi industry when it comes to road safety as well. It is very disturbing what happened, and may the souls of those who lost their lives in the accident rest in peace.
“We call upon all road users to drive safely and follow the rules of the road. We have encouraged our drivers on our side to comply with the rules of the road and know that lawlessness will not be tolerated. We told them that when you are tired, rest. You cannot make all the money in one day. Your life and the lives of your passengers are very important.”
Pretoria News