Tragic accident claims 18 lives

EIGHTEEN people were killed when a minibus taxi they were travelling in collided head-on with a truck in the early hours of yesterday.

The horrible accident happened on the busy N4 Road in Belfast, Mpumalanga.

Provincial community safety department spokesman Joseph Mabuza said it appeared the taxi was from Mozambique en route to Johannesburg.

"The accident happened at about 3am when the taxi driver appears to have lost control of the vehicle and it collided with a truck that was travelling in the opposite direction," Mabuza said.

"Fourteen people in the taxi and the driver of the truck were burnt beyond recognition.

The other three people were found dead a few a metres from the taxi."

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele conveyed his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.

Ndebele has vowed to show no mercy to drivers who disobeyed the rules of the road and to those who were found to be under the influence of alcohol.

"Our society has degenerated to a level where some drivers continue to display a blatant disregard for human life," he said in a statement.

Ndebele promised that his department, the ministries of justice and police, as well as the National Prosecuting Authority, would deal harshly with aggressive, irresponsible and reckless drivers in order to save lives.

"A motorist proven to have intentionally caused a death through a road accident will be charged with murder.

"Our law enforcement agencies and emergency services will be out in full force to ensure safety on the roads, especially during the festive season," he said.

Mpumalangacommunity safety MEC Vusi Shongwe said it was unfortunate that the province had started its festive season with such a tragic accident.

He said such accidents were caused by fatigue, a lack of patience by drivers, speed and reckless driving.

"We will not rest this festive season. We will arrest all reckless drivers and those who disobey the law," Shongwe said.

Mpumalanga DA leader Anthony Benadie said Shongwe's remark that they would not rest this festive season "was misplaced and insensitive".

"The focus of our traffic department should not be the repeated aggression of the MEC and threats of arrest, but rather on preventative measures to ensure our roads are safer," Benadie said.

He said visible traffic policing, coupled with Arrive Alive type campaigns had a greater impact and were positive in approach. "We need to deal with the causes of accidents and not the symptoms," Benadie said.

"Driver awareness programmes should be focused on clearly highlighting the dangers on our roads."

Benadie said while motorists should always be aware of the consequences of illegal behaviour, "Shongwe and minister Ndebele could not conclude that every accident was as a result of illegal behaviour".

"Those who violate the law should face the consequences, but positioning Mpumalanga as an antagonistic gangster province, where law enforcement officials are aggressively out to get you, harms the reputation of this beautiful part of the country as a tourist destination."