A road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) team dispatched to investigate Eastern Cape’s “deadliest” road accident was on Monday expected to do a reconstruction to determine how the crash led to the deaths of 14 people.

The devastating head-on collision between a minibus taxi and a Mazda CX5 initially claimed 13 lives on the N9 just outside Graaff-Reinet. Hours later, officials confirmed the 14 fatalities, making the incident the deadliest this festive season in the Eastern Cape, according to traffic officials.

“The information at hand states that the number of people who died increased to 14, all six occupants from the Mazda CX5 and eight from the Quantum taxi. Eleven other people suffered serious to light injuries and were transported to a medical facility for assessment.

“The preliminary reports also indicate that the two vehicles had a head-on collision, the Mazda CX5 was travelling from Middelburg to Graaff-Reinet, and the Quantum was travelling in the opposite direction towards Middelburg from Western Cape. The cause of the crash is unknown and will be subject to the ongoing investigation,” said RTMC’s Simon Zwane.

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and her deputy Mkhuleko Hlengwa sent messages of condolences to the bereaved families and wished a speedy recovery to those left injured. The two repeated their call to all road users for heightened vigilance on the roads.

Eastern Cape Transport Department spokesperson Unathi Binqose said: “The death of the 14 people is the worst and deadliest we have had on our roads so far this December. A total of three people also died and two others sustained injuries in a head-on collision involving a van with three occupants and a sedan with two occupants on the R61 road near Bizana on Sunday.

“Two males from the sedan, along with a female passenger from the van died on the scene. In another accident where more than two people were killed four people died and six others sustained severe injuries in a head-on collision last week Monday involving a bakkie and a seven-seater Toyota on the N2 near Butterworth. The deceased were all in the Toyota including a 4-year-old boy.

Other people were rushed to hospital with severe injuries,” said Binqose.

A case of culpable homicide was also opened at the Butterworth police station.

The volume of traffic on some of the roads started to increase sharply at the weekend, he said. With more expected this weekend ahead of Christmas holidays, officials were deployed across the province especially in hotspot areas.

“The province has deployed all its law enforcement personnel to keep high visibility, with special focus on some of the major roads connecting us with neighbouring provinces, such as the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State that links the Eastern Cape with northern provinces such as Gauteng. About 127 newly trained traffic officers have just completed an intense 12-months traffic law, as well as physical and psychological training. The Eastern Cape Department of Transport is urging road users, and motorists in particular, to continue to be extra vigilant on the roads,” said Binqose.

Other provinces that reported high fatalities in one crash include the Western Cape where a bus travelling from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town overturned in Worcester, killing eight people including six children. More than 20 other passengers sustained injuries ranging from serious to minor.

In the Free State, 10 people were killed and one person was seriously injured on the N1 highway when a white Scania Truck-Tractor and a white Toyota Quantum were involved in a collision.

Cape Times