14 learners were killed in the accident. Picture: John Mkhize / AFP The Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, and her Deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, have expressed serious concern about the persistent rise in road fatalities from public transport crashes. There have been several fatal accidents in the past few weeks, including the14 children who tragically died in a head-on crashwith a truck on the R553 Golden Highway in Vanderbijlpark two weeks ago.
On Thursday,eleven people were killedduring a crash on the R102, near Lotus Park in Isipingo, south of Durban, on Thursday morning. Eight other people sustained critical injuries from the incident and were rushed to the hospital for further treatment. Earlier this week,at least nine schoolchildrenwere injured in a school transport accident in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Creecy’s spokesperson, Collen Msibi, said their concerns were raised amid the tragic loss of eleven lives from the Durban accident. “Creecy and Hlengwa have directed the RTMC to investigate the cause of the crash, working together with local authorities. The preliminary investigation report is expected within 48 hours of the RTMC’s investigation beginning.
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“Creecy and Hlengwa have also extended their heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased during this challenging time, and they wish for a swift recovery of all the injured. They have also urged all road users to be extremely cautious on the road,” Msibi said. Meanwhile,the KZN transport departmentis calling for the drivers of a taxi and truck involved in a crash that resulted in the death of several people to be charged with multiple murders. KZN Transport MEC Sibiniso Duma visited the scene on Thursday as the bodies of the passengers lay waiting to be collected.
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