Five die in weekend road accident

Vusi Ndlovu

Vusi Ndlovu

Five people, including a two-year-old child, died when a truck collided with two vehicles in Zacharia Park, south of Johannesburg on Saturday.

Johannesburg Metro police spokesman Wayne Minnaar said yesterday that the accident happened along the Golden Highway. He said a minibus taxi was heading to Orange Farm when the driver of the truck lost control and hit the taxi head-on, before colliding with other two vehicles.

Minnaar said the driver of a minibus, two children - aged two and nine - died. Passengers in the private vehicles also died.

"We discovered that the truck driver was drunk. We have opened five cases of culpable homicide against him. "The driver was also injured and is at Chris Hani-Baragwanath hospital," said Minnaar.

In another accident in Lanesia, also south of Johannesburg, three people died when a van collided with with another vehicle yesterday.

Minnaar said a man who was driving without a driver's licence, lost control of the van and hit another vehicle.