Durban - Twelve people have been confirmed dead following an accident between a minibus taxi and a bakkie near Margate, the KwaZulu-Natal transport department said on Thursday.
Nine people died at the scene on Wednesday and three others died in hospital, the department said in a statement.
A minibus taxi and a bakkie collided head-on on the R61 on Wednesday night.
“I have now ordered that a forensic investigation be undertaken to establish the cause of this accident,” transport MEC Willies Mchunu said.
“Our teams are on the ground trying to work out what exactly happened.”
He conveyed his condolences to the families of those killed.
On Tuesday, the Road Traffic Management Corporation reported that 1184 people were killed in 987 road accidents nationwide from December 1 to 30.
Most of the fatalities were in KwaZulu-Natal. Mchunu said he noted the statistics with regret.
“Indications so far are that most of the accidents have been caused by reckless driving and failure by drivers to adhere to traffic regulations,” he said. - Sapa