Cape Town - Police and traffic cops had a chaotic start to one of the busiest traffic periods of the festive season with the death toll already in double digits.
At least 17 people were killed on Western Cape roads this weekend as hundreds of thousands of people travel home or to the coast for the holidays.
In one incident involving a mini-bus taxi, 12 people including three children were killed on the N1 near Touws River, about 182km outside Cape Town.
Traffic officials said the vehicle was on its way to Cape Town and it appeared the driver, who was also killed, lost control before the vehicle overturned.
Ten others sustained injuries.
In a separate incident, 11-year old Tedious Mamhende was travelling to South Africa for the first time from Zimbabwe to spend Christmas with his father, Titus Mamhende, in Cape Town.
Now the bewildered boy will spend it alone in Rustenburg after police pulled over a truck, illegally transporting passengers. He was one of 14 children in the vehicle.
His father has lived in Cape Town for more than five years while his son remained in Zimbabwe with his grandparents. After saving enough money, Mamhende hoped to be reunited with his son for Christmas.
Tedious boarded a truck along with 28 other undocumented Zimbabweans. The vehicle was pulled over on the R24 road, known as the Old Johannesburg Road, when police stopped and searched the truck.
North West Hawks spokesperson Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso said the two drivers were arrested on human trafficking charges, while the adults, aged between 19 and 54, were detained and charged under the Immigration Act.
A total of 14 children were taken to places of safety by police. Twelve of them, including Tedious, were travelling alone. Two of the children were with their mothers.
Rikhotso said the drivers would appear in the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Mamhende travelled to the Rustenburg station on Thursday but was told by police he would not be able to see his child because he would “jeopardise the investigation”.
He told Weekend Argus he was travelling on a bus back to Cape Town from Johannesburg yesterday.
University of Pretoria Centre for Child Law deputy director Karabo Ozah said, according to the Children’s Act, the children had to be taken to a place of safety like a child or youth centre.
“An inquiry has to be undertaken to determine whether they have family here (in South Africa) or in Zimbabwe and if they can be reunited with family.
“The Children’s Act provides that the investigation should be more than 90 days; but if family can be traced earlier the matter can be set down in the Children’s Court,” she said.
Ozah said children could not be deported or repatriated without the Children’s Court process.
People charged under the act cannot be held in detention for more than 48 hours before they are deported or let go.
Authorities have raised concerns about foreigners using illegal transport known as “malayitsha”, which ferries passengers to and from Zimbabwe.
This mode of transport costs between R450 and R1500 a trip, and passengers do not require a passport.
Traffic volumes on the provincial roads peaked from Friday evening as many people headed for destinations outside Cape Town, while others made their way to the city after several industries closed business for the holidays.
Provincial traffic head Kenny Africa urged motorists to be extra vigilant as traffic was expected to peak over the next few days leading to Christmas Day.
“This weekend tends to be one of the busiest on the roads. We appeal to drivers to take regular breaks every two hours or after 200km to eliminate fatigue, which continues to be among the major causes of accidents,” he said.
Five people were killed in separate incidents, mostly involving pedestrians in and around Cape Town.
Officials warned motorists to expect delays on certain roads as construction work to improve road infrastructure had been suspended until January.
Major roads that will be affected include the R61 between Beaufort West and the Eastern Cape border; Saldanha to the Port Services Corridor; the R62 between Ashton and Montagu; the N12 between Oudtshoorn and De Rust; various roads in the Groot-Brakrivier area; and the R44 in the Gouda vicinity.
On some routes, speed limits will be reduced through construction areas and this might result in gridlocks.
“We ask motorists to travel with care at all times,” the provincial Department of Transport urged, adding that temporary signage, lighting and flag operators would be in place to help with traffic flow.
With deaths from road accident injuries in South Africa about double the global average, psychiatrists have warned not only of the tragic consequences of road accident fatalities but also the potential life-long impact of serious head injuries for accident survivors.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects at least 300 per 100000 people in South Africa every year, with road accidents a major cause of death, and lasting effects on surviving victims’ mental and physical health, employment and family life.
Psychiatrists said with TBI resulting from a significant proportion of road accidents, there was even more reason to be road safety-aware, especially in high-volume periods like the holiday season.