Durban — KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has revealed that the government is exploring ways to end road carnage involving trucks, after seven people died near Isipingo on Saturday night.
Dube-Ncube sent condolences to the families of the seven people who were killed in a multiple vehicle crash involving a truck.
The premier welcomed the prompt commencement of investigations into the cause of the accident, led by the South African Police Service.
It is alleged that a truck collided with three light motor vehicles on the M35 outside Isipingo in Durban, leaving seven people dead and dozens injured.
“It is unacceptable that we have had multiple truck accidents in such a short space of time that continue to claim many lives. We remember vividly the horrific truck accident in Pongola that claimed the lives of 21 people. Last weekend the Tenza family lost six family members in an accident involving a truck on the R56 near Umzimkhulu. This morning (Sunday) we woke up to sad news that another fatal truck crash claimed seven lives on the M35 outside Isipingo in Durban.
“On behalf of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, we send our sincere condolences to the families of the people who were killed in this latest accident and we commit to working tirelessly to end road carnage,” said Premier Dube-Ncube.
She said that the province, through the Department of Transport, was investigating practical interventions to address the spate of truck accidents.
“It is alarming that in October 2022 alone, more than 55 truck accidents were reported in the province. It is for this reason that we are exploring various ways to put an end to road carnage involving trucks. This may include enforcing a curfew on freight trucks and redirecting vehicles to less busy roads. We are also engaging with the freight and logistics industry because our roads cannot be turned into mass grave sites and places of untimely deaths.
“We recently launched an Integrated Safety Month and Festive Season campaign, which seeks to promote safety on the road and in communities. There will be heightened visibility in all corners of our province including integrated crime prevention and crime combating operations on roads, communities, ports of entry and the border line. The success of this plan is dependent on the proactive work by law enforcement to reduce road crashes and levels of crime in our communities,” Dube-Ncube said.
She reiterated that ensuring safety on roads in KwaZulu-Natal is a shared responsibility and called on motorists to obey the speed limits and be extra vigilant when driving, especially since parts of the province are experiencing heavy rains.
Daily News