Durban - It was a tragic end to the Easter long-weekend on Monday as thousands of people travelled back home after a 41-vehicle pile-up resulted in the death of five people while 78 others were injured.
The mass accident near Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg-bound, saw both lanes of the highway closed from Hilton to Cedara while emergency services and authorities among others worked through the night to assist the injured and to clear the roadway. The N3 is now open.
According to the provincial government, the accident involved five trucks, eight minibus taxis, and 22 light motor vehicles, among others.
Road Freight Association(RFA) chief executive officer Gavin Kelly said we need to find out why these mass accidents are becoming more frequent on SA roads.
“The RFA calls on all those involved in the investigation to find the root causes and prevent these sorts of horrendous accidents/crashes from happening. We cannot lose any more South Africans. We cannot have our roads becoming places of death,” he said.
Kelly said all South Africans need to use the roads carefully, sensibly and responsibly.
He said vigilance is important, especially during wet and heavy mist conditions when traffic volumes are high. “We need to drive slower, drive with far more concentration and think about our actions.”
He urged motorists to think about the way they use our roads.
“We need to think every time we get into a vehicle, whether it's a truck, whether it's a light motor vehicle, we need to think about how we are going to use that road,” said Kelly.
KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube also cautioned motorists to be extra vigilant on the roads following the accident.
Dube-Ncube said the government is working closely with law enforcement agencies to investigate the cause of the accident and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
“Our priority at this time is to provide support and assistance to the injured and the families of the deceased. We urge all road users to exercise caution and adhere to road safety rules and regulations to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future,’’ said the premier.
ActionSA KZN leader Zwakele Mncwango said the party is calling for the removal of heavy-duty trucks on our roads.
“It is high time that the government takes decisive action and repairs dilapidated and vandalised railway lines in order to reintroduce this system of transportation. KZN is in desperate need for a solution-based decision before more lives are brutally lost on our roads, and we can no longer allow for business to go on as usual while we face this epidemic in our province,” he said.
He said Monday’s mass accident, a few kilometres away from the Peter Brown off-ramp, is where horrific accidents have claimed the lives of 25 people since January 2022, while recently, a runaway tipper truck collided with more than 40 vehicles on the M41 in Durban, leaving at least 16 people injured.
“ActionSA calls for the MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka, to meet with the National Minister for Transport, Ms Lydia Chikunga and devise a plan to remove all heavy-duty trucks on our roads before more lives are lost, and begin the revival of the railway system which was once an important element of the country’s transportation system,” said Mncwango.