Africa-Press – South-Africa. A truck driver has been arrested in connection with a 15-car pile-up on the N3 in Mariannhill, KwaZulu-Natal, in which four people, including the son and daughter-in-law of Minority Front (MF) leader Shameem Thakur-Rajbansi, were killed.
The driver is expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on several charges, including culpable homicide and negligent driving.
The cause of the accident is under investigation, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Sipho Hlomuka, said on Wednesday.
Hlomuka added that the company that owns the truck “must be taken to task should it be found that there were some defects in the vehicle”.
It is alleged that the truck was unable to come to a stop and crashed into 15 cars.
Among those who died were Pradhil Thakur-Rajbansi and his fianceĢe, Priyanka Nundkumar. Both were active members of the MF, with Nundkumar working closely with the party’s national executive.
The MEC expressed concern about the alarming number of accidents involving trucks.
Hlomuka, who was moved from the co-operative governance portfolio to the transport one in August, said something “extraordinary needs to be done to save the lives of innocent people on the roads”.
“We welcome the fact that the driver is going to be facing charges. We also want action to be taken against the truck company.
“This must send a clear message to all truck drivers and all road users that those who are killing people on the roads have no space in our province.”
Hlomuka said the department directed that an integrated plan “be developed to focus on heavy vehicles”.
“This will check driver documentation, roadworthiness of the trucks and other compliance issues. We will also be engaging with the trucking industry to agree on fundamental safety improvement plans, compliance and monitoring of their drivers.”
The government is planning various interventions to curb the scourge of crashes in hotspot areas, Hlomuka said.
He added that these included “interventions” on the N3, near to the Pieter Brown off-ramp, “with the introduction of safety measures, including technology”.
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