Pretoria - A soccer star is among the victims of Christmas period road accidents.
Supersport United’s Enocent Mkhabela survived a car crash on the N4 on his way home to Nelspruit for Christmas.
David “Mazolman” Skosana, spokesman for the city-based Absa Premiership side, confirmed an earlier report that the midfielder had been in an accident.
“I spoke to him. He was not in a position to disclose all the details. He, however, stated he had been in an accident as reported, and that it was not too serious. He also told me he was not injured and was fine,” Skosana said.
On Tuesday evening, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters led a road safety festive season campaign at the Carousel Toll Plaza on the N1.
She was joined by officials from the Road Traffic Management Corporation, national and local government who spoke to motorists about being safe on the roads this holiday season.
Peters said statistics available for December showed that there were 91 fatal accidents across the country, distributed as follows: Eastern Cape (20); KwaZulu-Natal (18); North West (11); Western Cape (9); Gauteng (9); Free State (7); Mpumalanga (6); Northern Cape (6); and, Limpopo (5).
The latest road accident victim in the city was a 10-year-old boy hit by a municipal truck and killed on Solomon Mahlangu Drive in Mamelodi on Tuesday.
According to Tshwane Metro Police department spokesman, Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba, the boy was trying to cross the busy road when he was hit by the truck. In another accident near Jan Shoba and Francis Baard streets, a number of pedestrians were injured. “We caution pedestrians to be alert because they can cause accidents. They should always be alert when crossing the road and should only do so in safe areas,” Mahamba said.
Shortly before 1am on Wednesday, Netcare 911 paramedics and other services were called to the scene of an accident on the N1 approximately 5km from the Grasmere Toll Plaza. A delivery vehicle overturned and its occupants were ejected on to the road.
Three were dead, five had serious injuries and four had minor injuries, according to Netcare 911 media liaison, Santi Steinmann.
Police are investigating.
In another incident at around the same time, Steinmann said paramedics were called to an accident scene on the N1 at Hammans-kraal. Here too a delivery vehicle had overturned.
Two occupants were dead, three were critical and four had serious injuries.
Later on Tuesday morning, an accident was reported on the Dewetsdorp Road, about 30km from Bloemfontein.
Two men were injured.
Four people died and 62 were injured in KwaZulu-Natal in various accidents on Tuesday.
“Paramedics from KZN emergency medical services responded to multiple accidents across the province which followed on from a busy day (on Monday),” EMS spokesman Robert McKenzie said.
In one of the most serious accidents on Monday a bus left the road and overturned in the Makhowe area in Hluhluwe.
One person died.
Pretoria News