The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has urged motorists to improve their vehicles’ visibility and exercise extreme caution when driving late at night or in the early hours of the morning after 24 people died in separate crashes.
“The corporation calls on motorists to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol and to take road conditions into account when travelling,” the RTMC said on Monday.
Five people died when a bakkie crashed into the back of a hatchback on Old Randfontein Road in Kagiso, near Mogale City, Gauteng, on Sunday. The crash occurred at about 3am, and all the deceased were travelling in the hatchback.
The driver of the bakkie was not injured, while all five occupants of the hatchback died at the scene.
Nine other people died on Thursday, shortly before midnight, when a minibus and a truck collided at the intersection of the R500 and R42 at Buffelshoek in North West.
The RTMC said the minibus, which was towing a trailer and carrying 13 passengers, collided with a truck.
Six men, a woman and a girl died at the scene, while another person later died in hospital, bringing the death toll to nine.
A head-on collision on the N1 near Nyl Plaza in Limpopo on Friday also claimed five lives.
The crash involved a truck and a minibus. It is alleged that the minibus crossed the median into the truck’s lane, resulting in a head-on collision.
Another crash occurred on Sunday on the N1 between Kroonstad and Heuningspruit in the Free State, where a minibus collided head-on with a Ford Ranger.
Four occupants of the minibus, who were trapped in the vehicle, were burned beyond recognition.
Another occupant of the bakkie later died in hospital from injuries sustained in the crash.
The RTMC is investigating the causes of the crashes. -SAnews.gov.za
