Eight members of a family died when a taxi overturned and rolled down an embankment in Mandaba, Nkandla in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Picture: KZN Department of Transport
Seventeen people lost their lives in KwaZulu-Natal in a series of road accidents, highlighting the dangers of holiday season travel.
In the most tragic incident, eight members of a family died when a taxi overturned and rolled down an embankment in Mandaba, Nkandla. The victims were travelling to a wedding when the accident occurred.
KZN Premier Thami Ntuli and chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture Sizophila Mkhize visited the scene to console grieving family members and neighbours.
MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma extended his condolences.
“No amount of words will best capture our message of condolences to the family of the victims of this morning’s road accident.”
Also on Monday, a single-taxi crash on the N2 Southbound near Spaghetti Junction, left two people dead and 21 others injured.
According to ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson, the crash involved a fully loaded taxi crashed into a barrier, and rolled multiple times, ejecting most of its passengers.
“Approximately 21 patients were treated for injuries ranging from moderate to critical and were transported to various Durban hospitals. Unfortunately, two males, believed to be in their 30s and 40s, sustained fatal injuries and were declared deceased at the scene.”
Jamieson later confirmed that a third person died in a hospital.
Elsewhere, on the R618 near Hluhluwe Game Reserve, a bus overturned, killing one person and injuring many others. Reports suggest the driver lost control after experiencing brake failure.
In another fatal crash, five people were killed in a head-on collision between a car and a South African Police Service (SAPS) vehicle on Mondlo Road near Vryheid on Sunday night. Emergency services worked into the early hours of Monday to clear the scene.
While the festive season had shown a decline in fatalities between December 1 and December 27 compared to last year, Duma lamented the recent surge in accidents.
“Our dedicated team from the Road Traffic Inspectorate is devastated following the sudden spate of road accidents that have claimed innocent lives.
“We continue to urge motorists to be extra careful on the road,” he said, adding that departmental teams had been dispatched to support affected families.
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