PHOTO: SUPPLIED
The Eastern Cape transport department says it has as of Saturday, officially recorded “over 150 fatalities in 31 days” on the province’s roads.
Spokesperson Unathi Binqose would not be drawn into reports that there had been more than 200 road casualties, saying the official announcement would be made by Transport minister Barbara Creecy in the next two weeks.
He said earlier that the Eastern Cape had seen “a spike in fatal crashes, many of which were head-on collisions”.
Several fatal crashes have been reported in the province since the festive season kicked off in December, but in what the department described as a beautiful turn of events, a total 20 people survived an accident and a fire in a crash involving a fully loaded minibus taxi, a bakkie and a sedan on the R61 road between Komani and Takastad on 2 January 2025.
“It’s alleged that a BMW with 3 occupants lost control, overturned and caught fire, and all 3 occupants managed to crawl out alive, escaping with minor burn wounds,” Binqose said at the time.
'SECONDARY CRASH'
“The fire spread to the veld resulting into thick smoke which led to a secondary crash, where a fully loaded minibus taxi collided with a bakkie with three occupants.
“The taxi caught some fire but all 14 occupants escaped with their lives including the three from the bakkie. At least 10 people were rushed to hospital with some burn wounds while others had minor bruises and lacerations."
Meanwhile, the department said the Amathole district in the Eastern Cape has also been identified as one of the top ten districts experiencing high number of accidents this past festive season.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation, the RTMC, said it would intervene to bolster efforts to reduce road crashes and fatalities in the province as holidaymakers prepare to return home over the next few days.
The RTMC says 37.6% of the fatal accidents occurred between the hours of 6pm and 1am and often involved pedestrians.
Traffic is expected to peak this weekend and law enforcement said they will intensify focus on public transport and visibility.
