Several deaths in city accidents; roads busy after long weekend

TRAFFIC volumes on the N3 northbound increased rapidly from mid-morning yesterday as visitors headed home with more than 900 vehicles going through the Mooi River plaza from 9am.

The N3 Toll Concession (N3TC) had expected volumes to increase from 6am and remain high throughout the day until 6pm.

Statistics from the N3TC indicated that traffic volumes through toll plazas decreased between 9am and 10am but increased afterwards.

Yesterday metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad said there had been vehicles from other provinces in Durban during the weekend.

He said people were behaving themselves in parks and the police were enforcing level 2 disaster management regulations.

“I think because beaches are closed we’ve seen a migration of people, lots of them, on the promenade. The majority of people went to popular restaurants on Florida Road and umhlanga Village,” Sewpersad said.

They also conducted roadblocks and vehicle checkpoints but could not provide more information because those operations were still ongoing. They also policed election events over the weekend. “There have not been major accidents, but some we have attended to in and around Durban with no fatalities,” he said.

Police are investigating a case of culpable homicide after a bakkie overturned on the R34 in northern Kwazulu-natal yesterday morning, killing a 63-year-old man and injuring others, said police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala.

Kwazulu Private Ambulance Service found that the bakkie had overturned after the driver had lost control.

Nine people were injured and taken to hospital after being treated at the scene.

Gwala said Margate police were investigating another case of culpable homicide after a pedestrian was killed when a vehicle ran him over while he was crossing the R61 near Uvongo on the south coast on Friday evening.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said: “The patient was assessed on scene by paramedics. However, the injuries were too severe and he was declared deceased on the scene.”

Earlier, two Road Traffic Inspectorate officers were injured when a bakkie crashed into their car on the N2 near Caribbean Estates on the south coast.

Reports suggested that the two officers were parked on the side of the road conducting a routine operation when the bakkie approaching from behind crashed into them.

The two officers and two other occupants of the bakkie sustained serious injuries and were all taken to the hospital.

There were other reports of crashes across the province that left scores injured.