Pretoria - The road surface along Simon Vermoeten off-ramp and Hans Strydom Drive on the N4 to Witbank is not the cause of the recurrent fatal accidents.
Commenting on an accident in which four people were killed on the same road on Monday morning, City of Tshwane Community Safety Department spokesperson Console Tleane said speed was the main cause of the accidents.
"The road surface is 100 percent and so should not be the cause of the accidents. We have noted that a number of accidents happened around the Simon Vermoeten off-ramp.
"While many of them involve pedestrians we note too that speed, especially in the easterly direction, is the cause of some accidents," he said.
Four people died when a minibus taxi they were travelling in overturned on the N4 towards Witbank between the Simon Vermoeten and Hans Strydom drives on Monday.
Three other people sustained critical injuries, while five sustained minor injuries.
The accident caused major traffic jams as two lanes on the east-bound direction had to be closed from 8am until noon.
The westerly part of the road was also briefly closed as one of the deceased was flung onto it. Two lanes on the westerly side were closed for just under two hours.
An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.
