Pretoria – Transport Minister Dipuo Peters says the four police officers and truck driver who lost their lives following a crash near Polokwane this morning, was yet another example of too many precious lives lost on South Africa’s roads.
The minister said on Thursday it remained unacceptable that messages about road safety were not heeded and adhered to by some road users.
“We cannot apportion blame for what has happened at this stage, safe to raise seriously the matter about how what we transport on our roads must never pose a life-threatening potential to all road users.
“The safe carriage of dangerous material on our roads must at all times be upper most in the minds of those responsible,” said Minister Peters.
According to preliminary reports, a grocery truck collided with a truck carrying blasting cartridges, and soon after the police arrived on the scene of the collision, the cartridges went off. Four police officers and truck driver were killed and three seriously injured.
Minister Peters said that the accident was still being investigated and forensic experts were probing what caused the explosion.
“We will do all in our power to get to the bottom of this and will report back to those affected and to our South African public. Those who are found to have acted recklessly and negligently will have to face the full wrath of our laws,” said Minister Peters.
She added her voice to those who had extended condolences to the families of those who had died.
The Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, accompanied by the National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega and senior police management, is expected to visit the families today. - SAnews.gov.za
