Thirteen people have been killed in a horror crash on the N9, outside Graaf Reinet in the Eastern Cape, early on Monday morning.
It is believed that an SUV, travelling with six occupants, crashed head-on into a fully-loaded minibus taxi, travelling from the Western Cape. All the occupants of the SUV died on scene.
Provincial spokesperson for the Department of Transport, Unathi Binqose, said the scene was still active with emergency services still attending to the injured.
In a separate crash on the R61 road near Bizana, three people were killed in a head-on crash.
"A sedan with two male occupants, collided head-on with a van with three occupants, two females and a male driver. The two male occupants of the sedan, along with a female passenger from the van, all died on the scene. The two other occupants of the van, including the driver, were rushed to hospital with serious injuries," the department said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Transport has committed to ensure a safer festive season in 2024.
Targeted interventions will focus on enforcement, education and pedestrian safety, and based on collected accident data the DOT has identified 20 priority routes where most crashes occur:
- Limpopo: R71 Mankweng, R37 Mecklenburg and the N1 Naboomspruit
- Mpumalanga: R573 KwaMhlanga, N4 Vosman and N4 Nelspruit
- Gauteng: R21 Kempton Park
- North West: N12 Potchefstroom and N12 Klerksdorp
- KZN: N2 Pongola and N2 Umkomaas
- Eastern Cape: R61 Mzamba, N2 Libode, N2 Idutywa, R61 Umthatha, N2 Mount Ayliff, R61 Libode and N2 Umthatha
- Western Cape: N2 Khayelitsha
IOL