Mayor’s car kills two pedestrians
KWANONGOMA residents have demanded action after the municipal mayor’s bodyguards were involved in a car crash that claimed two lives on Thursday evening.
The crash happened when the drivers of two Toyota Fortuners and a Toyota Hilux Legend 50 were returning to the municipal offices after dropping off Mayor Albert Mncwango at his residence in Empangeni.
Neighbours Senamile Ngcobo, 32, and Nqobile Shezi, 16, were coming from a tuckshop when they were run down.
On Friday morning, residents staged a protest, burnt tyres and barricaded the road during peak traffic until Mncwango promised to erect speed humps in seven days.
Neighbour Khaya Khumalo said the community had been complaining that too many lives had been lost due to high speed. He said the mayor had yet to visit the families of the deceased.
But municipal manager Mpumelelo Mnguni said the mayor had met both families on Friday and promised to assist with funeral expenses. He said Mncwango was devastated after the crash which left two of his bodyguards hospitalised after suffering concussion. Mnguni confirmed that the bodyguards were returning the vehicles to the office.
“The notorious road has claimed several lives in the past but with the intervention of the minister of transport we hope that speed humps would be erected soon to avoid more accidents,” Mnguni said.
Mbuso Ngcobo, Senamile’s brother, said the family was overwhelmed by her death.
“It was a terrible scene seeing their motionless bodies covered in blood. We could not even call the ambulance to give them medical help. The pain cuts deep, we have no idea on how to cover the funeral costs. We have been surviving on her son’s child support grant,” Ngcobo said.
Meanwhile, MEC for Transport Bheki Ntuli, who also met with the community on Friday, has directed the department and the police to institute an urgent investigation into the crash. He said according to eyewitnesses, one of the vehicles was travelling at an excessive speed.
Ntuli said tough action would be taken if investigation reveal the driver was reckless and negligent. He said police were investigating cases of culpable homicide and negligent driving.
“Public representatives have to protect society and need to be extra cautious on the road,” Ntuli said.