South Africa’s road safety standards have reached a catastrophic low point with grave implications for citizens’ social, economic, and physical well-being, a statement recently made by civil rights group the Organization Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa).
Without context, this sentence doesn’t have too much gravitas for its reader, but it’s truer than it has ever been.
Drivers, who are often on the roads illegally, are becoming careless, reckless, even suicidal, and the shrinking share of motorists who abide by the law are paying the price.
Every day there are numerous accidents that could have been avoided with the right laws and legislatures in place, and by educating road users on the dangers of their actions.
Four key areas highlighted by Outa as receiving lacklustre attention by the authorities include:
- Vehicle and driver fitness
- Communication and public education
- Traffic law enforcement and law compliance
- Infrastructure, management, and information systems
There are also multiple actions these agencies can take to reduce car accidents and crime on the roads, such as increased visible policing, higher accountability for those in charge of road safety, and new policies, said Outa.
With this in mind, here is an accurate representation of the real, horrific, depressing devastation that plagues our beautiful country’s roads in just one weekend, showing that road safety truly is a national crisis that is habitually overlooked by the powers that be.
Friday, 2 June
At approximately 07h29 on Friday, 2 June, a car and truck collided on the R102 between Ottawa and Verulam in KwaZulu-Natal.
The driver of the car alleged that she swerved out to avoid a truck that suddenly braked when she collided with a second truck in the lane she veered into. The VW hatchback she was in proceeded to spin out of control and end up in the emergency lane facing oncoming traffic.
Luckily, no injuries were reported by any parties involved.
That night, at approximately 19h20, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) duty cell in Desainagar, KwaZulu-Natal received multiple calls about a vehicle that had ended up in a residential pool.
The driver was trapped inside the Jeep SUV that landed in the water and was removed by residents who heard the incident before being stabilised by paramedics and transferred to the hospital.
The cause of the incident is still unknown and investigations are expected to be launched soon.
Saturday, 3 June
In the early morning hours of Saturday, 3 June, a motorist traveling in the opposite direction of traffic at highway speeds on the N1 near Atterbury Road, Pretoria caused a head-on collision resulting in three fatalities including a mother and her toddler, reported Rekord.
A video circulated on social media and reposted by Twitter user @pmcafrica showed the terrifying ordeal and the saddening aftermath of the driver’s careless actions.
RIP, apparently two people passed away here, vehicle driving on the wrong side of the N1 highway in Centurion. pic.twitter.com/4UefWonlY5
— Peché Africa 🇿🇦 (@pmcafrica) June 4, 2023
Around the same time this happened, two suspects were nabbed on the N1 by Trompsburg Highway Patrol for possession of 53 black refuse bags filled with abalone.
Harvesting wild abalone – which is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world – is illegal in South Africa, however, the species which is indigenous to our coasts are being hunted by criminal syndicates who sell them to international clients at high prices and it’s driving the extinction of abalone in the country.
The two individuals, aged 31 and 42, are due to appear before the Trompsburg Magistrate’s Court soon facing charges of possession of abalone.
A few minutes after the above incidents, several people in Hambanathi, KwaZulu-Natal sustained moderate to severe injuries after a three-car pile-up took place at approximately 04h29 in the morning.
“It was alleged that a white Opel Corsa was stationary behind a black VW Golf that was experiencing mechanical failure when a grey Chevrolet Aveo collided into them,” said Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA).
“The Chevrolet Aveo was allegedly traveling at a high rate of speed. The occupants of the VW Golf sustained severe injuries. The driver of the vehicle was trapped in the wreckage and had to be extricated by the Ethekwini Fire Department.”
The injured individuals were stabilised on the scene before being transported to the hospital by a private ambulance service.
Only a few hours later, a truck caught fire on the Robinson Pass between Oudtshoorn and Mossel Bay, closing off the Sonskyn Valley route.
The true cause of the fire remains unknown, but a frequent reason for these types of “freak” accidents is cited as being poor truck maintenance by corner-cutting fleet owners and the shockingly-poor state of the country’s road network.
On the bright side, no injuries or deaths have been reported.
A bit further north in Buffelsdraai, KwaZulu-Natal, during evening hours, RUSA arrived on the scene of a red Ford hatchback that lost control around a bend, consequently flying off the road and rolling into a stream.
During the ordeal, the two passengers were flung out of the windows and both sustained serious injuries, but fortunately, there were no deaths.
Later that same night, 24 people including a taxi driver with a vehicle full of passengers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol during a routine roadblock in Rietgat, Tshwane.
The roadblock also saw 30 more suspects being arrested “for various crimes,” reported Arrive Alive.
The Nelspruit area was also home to “several collisions” this past week.
Emer-G-Med emergency medical services group this Saturday issued a statement saying: “Our Nelspruit team have been busy with motor vehicle collisions across their footprint this week. Drive safe and arrive alive.”
It is unclear how many injuries or fatalities, if any, arose from these accidents.
In Limpopo, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and local authorities also held the two-day “operation Kukula” in the Vhembe District which consisted of intensified roadblocks including the R524 road, stop and searches, tracing of wanted suspects, as well as high-visibility patrols at hotspot areas.
The operation resulted in 1,123 people and 234 vehicles being stopped and searched, 110 fines being issued for contravention of the Road Traffic Act, and the arrest of 100 suspects aged between 23 and 52 for crimes including driving under the influence of liquor, assault, and contravention of the Immigration Act.
Kukula will still be taken to three remaining districts namely Sekhukhune, Mopani, and Waterberg where it is expected to have a similar impact.
Sunday, 4 June
Around mid-day on Sunday, 4 June, the Johannesburg Metro Police K9 unit noticed a male driving a red Toyota hatchback in a reckless fashion on the N12/Golden Highway, Naturena.
The officers stopped the vehicle and performed a search in which they found dozens of bags of illegal drugs with the street name “nyaope”.
The suspect offered officers a R1,000 bribe and was immediately arrested, said the JMPD
Later that day, just before 14h00 in the afternoon, a head-on collision between a minibus taxi and a long-distance bus claimed the lives of 11 people including two children.
Seven passengers were seriously injured while another eight sustained slight injuries, and all were taken to Holy Cross Hospital in Flagstaff to get treated.
The cause of the accident remains unknown and is subject to “ongoing investigations,” according to Arrive Alive.
In response, the Eastern Cape Transport MEC, Xolile Nqatha, called for “maximum focus as a minimum requirement on the roads to help us avoid accidents like head-on collisions.”
After the sun set, another incident in Ottawa, KwaZulu-Natal involved a red Toyota hatchback that rolled and crashed into a metal barrier.
According to RUSA, reaction officers discovered the vehicle on its side and the 29-year-old driver appeared intoxicated, “but this could not be immediately confirmed,” it said.
The driver fortunately wasn’t injured, and the Verulam SAPS is investigating the matter further.
On the R614, another vehicle rolled down an embankment after losing control, but the occupants weren’t as lucky this time.
IPSS Medical Rescue and Search and Rescue divisions arrived at the scene and found two passengers critically injured and another trapped beneath the single-cab bakkie.
Sadly, two people sustained fatal injuries.
Keyword: A real picture of the sorry state of South Africa’s roads