By Aziz Hartley
Provincial traffic authorities are concerned about cattle on highways and roads around Cape Town after a spate of accidents, including one in which a 14-year-old girl was killed.
Livestock in search of greener pastures cause havoc and motorists have been asked to report any sightings of stray animals on roads.
Shortly before midnight on Monday, the Strand girl died and four people were injured when their car hit a cow on the N1 highway near Klapmuts. The vehicle was written off.
Boland police spokesperson William Reid said the car was heading for Paarl when the accident happened.
The dead girl's family declined to release her name for personal reasons.
Shortly after the accident the driver of an Isuzu bakkie had a narrow escape when his vehicle hit the dead animal that had been on the roadside.
Ceres resident Ivan Pharo's vehicle rolled twice but he was not hurt.
The accidents involving cattle follow three others last week on the N2 freeway near Sir Lowry's Pass.
Early on Thursday Thabiet Walters and his family were returning to Cape Town from East London when they smashed into a cow on the N2 near Gordon's Bay.
On impact the animal was hurled over the vehicle and crashed through the rear window.
Walters's children, on the back seat, were severely traumatised when the animal's bleeding head came to rest inches above their faces.
From his home in Maitland on Tuesday Walters said his neck was injured and his wife Shariefa had a gash above an eye. Both had been admitted to the Vergelegen Medi-Cross Clinic.
"The road was dark and suddenly this beast appeared in the road in front of us. A truck approached and I could not avoid the cow," Walters said.
"Everything happened very quickly and I leaned over to protect a relative next to me on the front passenger seat. I don't know what happened after that. I was concussed and when I regained consciousness my whole body felt numb and I could not speak."
He complained about the absence of road signs to warn motorists of lurking dangers caused by cattle.
Chris Snyman of the province's traffic safety and education department said the problem of livestock on roads had become an issue of law enforcement and proper animal pounds were needed. The roads most affected were the N2 and R300 freeways.
"Our problem is smaller than in areas like the Eastern Cape. The dry weather can play a role as animals go off in search of better grazing," he said.
Provincial traffic department officers continually patrol the freeways and they look out for stray animals.
- If you spot livestock on the roads call 10111.