RESIDENTS of villages between Hazyview and Kruger National Park have called on the government to erect speed humps or stop signs on the main road to help prevent accidents.

RESIDENTS of villages between Hazyview and Kruger National Park have called on the government to erect speed humps or stop signs on the main road to help prevent accidents.

The call is in response to the escalating fatal accidents involving pedestrians.

In the latest accident at Cork village near Mkhuhlu, a 13-year-old girl died after she was knocked down by a car soon after alighting from a minibus taxi from Belfast Trust near Kruger National Park yesterday morning.

The girl was returning from visiting her sick mother at Belfast Trust, situated about 15km away.

Residents who knew her said she was returning home to prepare for school.

Residents said the government should either erect stop signs or speed humps to help prevent such accidents.

"I can count up to 10 and tell you that this is the number of people who were knocked down by vehicles along this road since January last year.

"We know that the government can do something about this road. We are situated along the main road and this is very dangerous for us," said a resident, Simaphi Maphosa, yesterday.

"We are calling upon the government to act swiftly on this challenge."

Spokesperson for the provincial department of public works, roads and transport Dumisani Malamule insisted on having written queries.

But at the time of going to press, Malamule had not responded to the queries though he acknowledged receiving them.

The spokesperson for Calcutta police station, Constable Tshepo Lebyane, said a case of culpable homicide had been opened against the driver of the white VW Jetta that allegedly knocked down the child, but he could not immediately release the child's identity.