Durban – Bodies, fruits, cold drinks and personal belongings were strewn across the N3 near the Bergville Interchange in KwaZulu-Natal after seven people were killed and six left injured when a minibus taxi overturned on Sunday afternoon, bringing a tragic end to the December 16 long weekend.
KZN Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Robert Mckenzie described it as a serious and tragic crash on the N3 highway between Bergville and the Tugela Plaza.
“The crash involved a minibus which overturned.
“Tragically seven people sustained fatal injuries in this crash and paramedics from KZN Emergency Medical Services, together with their colleagues from several private ambulance services have treated six patients at the scene for injuries ranging from serious to critical,” Mckenzie said.
He said that the exact circumstances resulting in the crash are not known at this stage but are being investigated by the police.
In a brief statement, the National Toll Concession (N3TC) said that a fatal crash, involving a minibus taxi and a truck, had been reported near the Bergville Interchange, and emergency services were on the scene attending to multiple casualties.
The N3TC said that the southbound carriageway towards Durban was obstructed.
It also appealed to road users to approach the area with caution.
“Please slow down, be vigilant and remain patient,” requested N3TC operations manager Thania Dhoogra.
The N3TC manages the N3 toll route between Heidelberg in Gauteng and Cedara in KwaZulu-Natal.
17h18 18/12 #N3Crash: N3 6 21.0 S #N3DurbanBound near Bergville Interchange. Taxi involved. S/B obstructed, Traffic stacked on scene. Please approach cautiously.
— N3 Toll Concession (@N3Route) December 18, 2022
On Thursday, KZN transport and community safety and liaison MEC Sipho Hlomuka said law enforcement agencies were placed on high alert to proactively fight crime and traffic violations ahead of the December 16 long weekend.
The deployment was part of the integrated festive season safety plan. It encompasses proactive policing in communities and heightened traffic law enforcement to curb the scourge of crashes and fatalities.
“We have set clear targets of addressing decisively the serious crime categories. These include murder, attempted murder, rape, business robberies, cash-in-transit heists and gender-based violence. Police are heavily deployed in all crime hotspots in the province. Equally, an integrated approach is being implemented to address lawlessness on the road,” Hlomuka said.
“As the province, we are determined to reduce the levels of crashes and fatalities associated with the festive season holidays. We strongly appeal to road users and communities to respect the traffic regulations and work with the police in building a safer KwaZulu-Natal,” Hlomuka said.
— KZN Transport (@KZNTransport) December 15, 2022
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