South Africa Roads Deadly during Easter
South Africa seems to be continuing the alarming trend of having higher incidences of road accidents and related deaths during the holiday seasons this Easter. With many people choosing to to visit relatives in other parts of the country over the weekend, the roads have become a deathtrap. To date eight people have died and several have sustained injuries after a number of collisions have occurred across South Africa – all in the course of one day.
Mpumalanga saw tragedy in the form of two accidents. The first saw two cars crash between Kwanyamzane and Matsulu, just outside of Nelspruit. Four people were killed and the cause is still under investigation. A fifth person was killed after a head-on collision between a minibus taxi and a truck in the Waterval Boven tunnel. As a result of the crashes the N4 was closed for and motorists had to use the Schoemanskloof Road as an alternate route.
The Eastern Cape was the scene of a rather tender traffic tragedy when two cars collided on the N2 just west of Port Elizabeth. The occupants of one of the cars – an adult and a baby, died in the collision. They were on their way from King Williams Town to Cape Town. Five other people were injured and taken to hospital. Another woman traveling in a Golf on her way to the Two Oceans marathon sustained minor injuries.
Further to this, a 24-year-old man died at the R21-R24 split near the Johannesburg International Airport. The man supposedly smashed into a bridge support and was declared dead on the scene. The resulting debris from the accident resulted in the road being closed for roughly two hours. In Alberton a head-on collision between a truck and a Toyota Corolla resulted in further injuries. The driver of the Corolla sustained serious head injuries while the driver and passengers of the truck had only minor injuries. The collision also resulted in a massive diesel spill which lead to the Swartkoppies and Kliprivier roads being temporarily closed to traffic. A case of negligent and reckless driving is currently being investigated.
People planning to travel on main roads over the Easter weekend have been advised to take extra care due to the higher volumes of traffic that are to be expected during this time period.
