Engineers make Shaka’s crash site safer

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Willies Mchunu, has asked for a high-level team to conduct an assessment and investigate safety measures after last weeks accident involving a minibus and a train. Photo: Netcare 911

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Willies Mchunu, has asked for a high-level team to conduct an assessment and investigate safety measures after last weeks accident involving a minibus and a train. Photo: Netcare 911

Published Aug 24, 2015

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Durban - A week after 16 people died when a minibus taxi was hit by a train in Shaka’s Head, a team of engineers has been tasked to make the area safer.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Willies Mchunu, has asked for a high-level team to conduct an assessment and investigate safety measures. Mchunu said two serious accidents had happened at the same spot.

Last Monday a taxi took the off-ramp on the N2 near Shaka’s Head, allegedly shot through a stop street and went down an embankment, landing on the railway tracks, where it was hit by a passenger train. No one aboard the train was injured.

Mchunu said while families laid to rest their loved ones, the best way to honour those who died was to make sure similar incidents were prevented.

“The engineers have visited the collision scene. They will submit their recommendations to me. The team is already on the ground conducting traffic count and making assessments. This area is now a red spot and requires extraordinary interventions to prevent further loss of life,” Mchunu said.

Once the team has completed the report, it will be tabled to the head of department and the MEC for approval and implementation. On Thursday, Mchunu addressed mourners at a memorial service. He also visited the survivors in hospital and inspected the scene of the accident on Tuesday.

Mchunu reiterated the government’s commitment to curb road fatalities and called on all the people of KwaZulu-Natal to be true ambassadors of road safety.

“Each and every one of us has a role to play in curbing the levels of fatalities in our province. We remain convinced that we can only fight the scourge if we all work together and take responsibility for our own safety on the road. As the government we will continue to investigate new, effective measures to improve safety on our roads,” he said.

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