UPDATED: Nine people have been killed after a minibus taxi and a manganese-laden truck collided at the intersection in Potchefstroom, North West Province, in the early hours of Friday morning.
The crash took place on the R500 and R42 and also left five others injured.
According to preliminary reports from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the minibus, with 13 occupants, was travelling along the R500 from Fochville toward Parys, while the truck was heading in the opposite direction on the R42 between Potchefstroom and Vanderbijlpark.
Investigators allege the truck failed to stop at a stop-street intersection, leaving the minibus no time to avoid impact.
The collision claimed the lives of six males and two females, among them a young girl, while five survivors were left with serious injuries, earlier on Friday.
One more person died in hospital.
The RTMC’s Chief Communication Officer, Simon Zwane, confirmed that the corporation’s CEO had acted swiftly in response to the tragedy. “The Chief Executive Officer of the Road Traffic Management Corporation, Adv. Makhosini Msibi has immediately dispatched a team of accident investigators to the scene of the crash to investigate the real cause of the crash,” Zwane said.
The case has also been handed over to law enforcement. “The case has also been reported at the South African Police Services in Buffelschoek for further processing,” Zwane confirmed.
With South Africa now entering its winter season, the RTMC used the occasion to urge all road users to exercise extreme caution in deteriorating weather conditions. “As the winter season has started, the RTMC advises motorists to consider fog and mist conditions when driving at night and approaching stop intersections,” Zwane said. “If the fog becomes too thick to drive safely, we advise motorists to pull into designated safe locations.”
The corporation also issued broader winter road safety guidance, warning that conditions specific to this time of year compound existing dangers on the road.
“Thick winter fog or veld fire smoke can obscure stationary vehicles instantly. If visibility drops below 50 metres, pull over safely at a truck stop,” the RTMC cautioned. Driver fatigue was also flagged as a compounding risk, with the RTMC noting that “early morning heaters make cabs cosy, accelerating drowsiness,” and advising drivers to keep windows open for fresh air and to strictly observe mandatory rest intervals.
Investigations into the precise cause of the crash are ongoing.
