Road death toll in W Cape rises to 121
Traffic chief places blame on motorists’ behavioural problems
FOURTEEN people died on the province’s roads over the weekend, bringing the death toll to 121 since the start of the month. Two of those killed were law enforcement officer Bulalekile Ganta and 107 emergency call taker Zindiswa Canca, who were killed in a head-on-collision on Old Faure Road on Christmas Day.
By Wednesday, the death toll stood at 107 deaths, according to provincial traffic Chief Kenny Africa.
Africa said the number was very high and concerning for traffic officials.
“Most of the crashes were head-on-collisions and the others were caused by people falling asleep while driving and losing control of their vehicles. It all boils down to behavioural problems in motorists.”
Nine of the 14 people who died were killed in crashes that occurred on Christmas Day – the other five were killed on Boxing Day.
“We also had 58 drunk drivers arrested, and that is concerning. People can’t drink and drive and endanger others and think they can get away with it. They need to change their attitudes and make sure they are well rested and ensure they don’t endanger other people’s lives.”
The highest drunk driver reading was 1.81mg/1 000l, and was recorded in Mossel Bay.
In addition to the drunken driver arrests, 285 fines were issued for various offences and amounted to R364 200.
“People are taking chances and not caring for fellow motorists. We will arrest anybody that endangers others on the roads and keep them in jail.”
DJ Nkosinathi “Black Coffee” Maphumulo was one of the thousands arrested for traffic violations.
Maphumulo was arrested on Christmas Eve after he was caught travelling at 200km/h in a 120km/h zone in a Maserati on the N1 near Maraisberg Bridge.
He received praise from fans after posting an apology on social media.
In his apology, he justified his speeding by saying: “While on the way, I received a family emergency call which compelled me to drive back home as a matter of urgency. It was around this hour (11pm) that I regrettably exceeded my speed limit and in hindsight should have been more cautious.”
He was released on R800 bail and will appear in court today.