Horror crash

UST two months after the horrific crash in Pinetown, in which a truck ploughed into four minibus taxis and two cars at an intersection, killing 24 people, more road carnage has blighted our landscape.

At least 29 lives were snuffed out on Monday night at the notorious Moloto Road, near Kwaggafontein, in Mpumalanga, in a collision involving a bus and a truck.

The transport minister has speedily appointed a team consisting of the Road Traffic Management Corporation and Mpumalanga traffic authorities to probe the accident and recommend interventions.

Moloto Road, a vital corridor from the former KwaNdebele homeland, is notorious for its high accident rate. Hundreds of buses move up to 50 000 workers from the area to Pretoria each day along the narrow and potholed route. Hundreds of other vehicles, many unroadworthy and overloaded and whose drivers are prone to speed, also use the road, creating ideal conditions for deadly accidents.

Responsible road users are tired of the needless loss of life as seen on Monday.

With the festive season fast approaching, is the Moloto bus crash a harbinger of things to come? And will authorities continue to issue stern warnings while road users blissfully ignore them?

A drastic change of mindset is required. Too many lives are lost on our roads unnecessarily.

J