Vusumuzi Dube
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
EIGHT people, some of them believed to be Zimbabweans were killed when a Toyota Quantum they were travelling in was involved in a road accident near Musina town yesterday morning.
The accident occurred before the Baobab Tollgate along the N1 Highway at about 5am. Limpopo’s Traffic and Community Safety spokesperson Ms Tidimalo Chuene said the Toyota Quantum collided head-on with a delivery van when its driver made an overtaking error.
“Indications are that the accident happened when a minibus taxi overtook unsafely on a barrier line and collided head-on with a light delivery vehicle. Five men and three women died as a result of the accident while eight other people who sustained injuries were transported to nearby health facilities for medical attention.”
The identity of the victims will be announced in due course. Limpopo Member of Executive Committee (MEC) for Transport and Community Safety, Mrs Florence Radzilani said; “We are deeply saddened by the news and pray for the departed, and the families they leave behind.
We also pray for the healing of those who sustained injuries in the accident. We are heading towards the Easter long weekend, which will see a heightened presence of motor vehicles on our roads, as people will be traveling to different parts of the province to spend time with their families.’’
She warned drivers to exercise caution during the Easter holidays. The MEC said driver behaviour, which includes reckless driving, overtaking at unsafe spots, speeding, overloading, and drunk driving were a major cause of road traffic accidents and fatalities in the province.
“The responsibility for road safety lies with all of us as individual drivers. We are therefore continuing as a department, to make a clarion call to motorists, to become a part of the road safety crusade, and be responsible road users at all times, for all to arrive alive,” said Mrs Radzilani.
More than 40 Zimbabweans have died on the N1 Highway due to road accidents in the last 12 months.
The road is the major commercial artery linking South Africa with the rest of the Sadc countries north of the Limpopo River. – @tupeyo .
Online Reporter