The death of five people in a horror crash on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast has prompted a stern warning from provincial transport MEC Peggy Nkonyeni that traffic offenders will face the full might of law.

On Sunday four vehicles collided on the N2 highway near Umtentweni after an allegedly drunk driver lost control of his vehicle, leaving five dead and several others with serious injuries.

The crash prompted Nkonyeni to direct traffic law enforcement to reinforce measures to deal with intoxicated drivers.

“Preliminary reports have revealed that a driver of the VW Golf lost control of the vehicle while overtaking and collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle along the N2. 

“The accident involved two more vehicles — a Toyota Condor and a Nissan Navara. Five people were declared dead on the scene and six were critically injured and taken to various hospitals for further medical assistance,” the department said in a statement.

It said investigations revealed that “the driver of the VW golf was driving under the influence of alcohol which instigated this accident”.

Nkonyeni said she was concerned about road users who continue to ignore the rules of the road.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident, which could have been easily avoided had the driver adhered to the rules of the road,” she said. 

“The department is always preaching the gospel of road safety and those who continue to disobey the rules of the road unfortunately always end up with fatal consequences. 

“As we are heading for the festive season, we want to again appeal to road users to be extra cautious and always practice patience when travelling on our roads to avoid such unnecessary deaths. 

“We cannot afford to lose lives due to recklessness and that simply means our law enforcement will be beefed up to hit hard those who are law breakers.  Those who continue to break the rules of the road will be dealt with harshly.

“As the festive season is approaching, the department will be intensifying our law enforcement officers on our roads to make sure that all motorists adhere to traffic laws.”

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