After Monday’s head-on collision which claimed the lives of six people and left 16 injured, the Eastern Cape transport department has urged motorists to drive responsibly during the busy festive season.
The crash involving a minibus taxi and a car happened at about 2.45pm on the T30 road near Mampompondo Cash and Carry in Ngqeleleni, towards Mthatha.
Some of the deceased were burned beyond recognition after the vehicles caught fire.
Though some social media users claimed the death toll may have risen to eight amid unverified claims that two more people died in hospital, the department was unable to confirm this, saying the official figure stood at six.
“We are urging road users, motorists in particular, to meet us halfway, to play their role and obey the rules of the road,” provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said on Tuesday.
“We have more officers [on duty] in line with the demands of this season.
“But we can’t win this without them [road users] also playing their part.”
With Christmas around the corner, Binqose said traffic volumes had significantly increased in some of the major corridors connecting the Eastern Cape with other provinces.
The N2, R61 and N6 are among those with a visible increase of mainly inbound traffic.
Traffic officials are already out in full force conducting roadblocks.
“We have an additional deployment of national traffic police on top of the provincial and local officers,” Binqose said.
“We have enough boots on the ground to keep you safe through this tough period.”
Daily Dispatch