Share

Bakkie/taxi horror: 3 die, 42 hurt

PRETORIA, South Africa - Two people have been killed in yet another crash involving a bakkie carrying passengers on its load bed yet still the authorities do nothing to outlaw and police this colonial practice.

It was just one of three such reported incidents on Tuesday (May 7).

The bakkie overturned at the junction of Delmas Road and De Villebois Mareuil Drive, Pretoria East, at about 6pm on Tuesday (May 7).

There were 17 people on board; 15 of them were seriously injured.

AND THE REST...

The road was partly closed for some time after the crash.

• In another horrific incident on the same day a woman died and 16 people were injured when a taxi and a car collided in Constantia, Cape Town. No further details were available but the woman died on the scene and the injured were taken to several hospitals.

• In a third incident, a man was killed and nine people - presumably including children - were injured in an accident near Delmas. The bakkie was taking children to school when it collided head-on with a car carrying three people.

The dead man, believed to be in his late 50's, was found trapped in the wreckage of the car. The injured were taken to hospital.

Wheels24 editor LES STEPHENSON video'd an overloaded bakkie travelling along the N7 on the West Coast earlier in 2013. The eight passengers in the load bay were oblivious to the implications should there have been a collision; neither did they seem concerned about their safety.

Watch the video

• In March 2013, four children were killed in Mthatha, Eastern Cape when the driver of the bakkie on which they were travelling lost control in rain. Nine others were injured.

• Another recent incident involving people being carried on an open vehicle led to 48 people being hurled from the back of a crashing truck in Pretoria on April 10, 2013.

Wheels24
says: While the national and provincial traffic authorities pull over thousands of ordinary, responsible drivers, collect millions of rands from traffic cameras that have little effect on road safety, and allow traffic patrols - except for the Western Cape, we are told - to shut down at night, 20 000 people a year are killed and countless more are hideously injured.

WHEN WILL IT END?

Taxis and bakkies such as those in and on which three people have just died and 32 more were injured are blatant in their dangerous driving, vehicle unroadworthiness and lethal overloading yet can be seen at any time on the nation's roads by the public. Are the police and traffic cops blind?

Arrest the drivers, impound the vehicles, and introduce laws which punish vehicle owners who grow fat on the death of and misery caused to ordinary working people.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Email us and we'll publish your thoughts or use the Readers' Comments section below...
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE