Kimberley - Transport Minister Dipuo Peters sent her condolences on Monday to the families of 15 people killed in an accident on the N18 near Hartswater, Northern Cape, her office said.
“The minister sends her sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wishes a speedy recovery to those who sustained injuries,” her spokeswoman Thato Mosena said in a statement.
Twenty-four people, including the driver of a minibus taxi, were injured when the taxi collided with a bakkie on Saturday afternoon.
“The passengers from the bakkie were flung off and strewn all over the N18 and others landed in a nearby water canal,” Lieutenant Olebogeng Tawana said at the time.
Four bodies were found in the canal. The jaws-of-life had to be used to free those trapped in the taxi. The injured were taken to Hartswater, Taung, and Klerksdorp hospitals.
The 59-year-old driver of the bakkie was expected to appear in the Hartswater Magistrate's Court on Monday on 15 charges of culpable homicide.
A team including transport department and Road Traffic Management Corporation representatives would determine the cause of the crash.
“The team is not limited to determining what caused the crash, but also includes coming up with proposed interventions to ensure the prevention of a further recurrence.”
Sapa