13 people died in a horror crash between a minibus taxi and a truck on the R66 between Melmoth and Ulundi
Durban – The municipal manager of the Ulundi District Municipality where 13 people died in a horror crash between a minibus taxi and a truck on the R66 between Melmoth and Ulundi has described the carnage at the scene as “obscene mortality”.
He said the community of Ulundi has been “shocked to the core” following the crash.
“The people mercilessly died a slow painful death. Some were charred beyond recognition, while others died with body parts flung all over the road. All this in full view of other motorists and emergency services who could do very little to save lives,” he said.
He appealed to the Transport Department for stricter licencing processes for truck drivers and trucks.
“We note that foreign nationals who present drivers licenses obtained in their countries mainly present Code 14. These are persons who are employed cheaply by trucking companies to drive trucks in our public roads. We, therefore, appeal to DOT to strengthen validation mechanisms of these licences and to impose heavy penalties to South African companies that employ these carnage prone drivers,” he said.
Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport MEC Bheki Ntuli has conveyed his condolences to the family of the 13 people who died..
“It is a horrible incident and we are now coming out of the accident last week where we were burying 14 people at a go and today we are having this accident. It is a pity that these accidents happen during October Transport Month where we are working hard on the ground to try and get people to stick to the rules of the road,” Ntuli said.
The MEC said he was worried about the number of crashes as the festive season draws near.
