Families of victims uPhongolo crash welcome deadly accident report

The families of those who died in the tragic crash that claimed the lives of 20 people on the N2 in the uPhongolo Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal last week say the community has been concerned about the impact of trucks in the area for a long time.

They have welcomed the findings of the accident report into the incident by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Thursday.

It has found that the driver of the truck was negligent, driving for more than a kilometer against oncoming traffic before colliding with the bakkie carrying school children.

Dumisani Kunene and Jabulani Nsango tragically lost family members in the crash.

“What is painful is that some say they had been noticing that people would die due to trucks in the area. But we cannot say anything now. What has happened, has happened. We hope that this is the last time to see such an accident.”

“The minister also comforted (us) as they work together with Sanral to decrease road accidents in the area. We hope that it will produce positive results.”

Mbalula says the government is planning to widen the N2 in uPhongolo where the crash between a truck and a bakkie transporting learners claimed the 20 lives.

Mbalula made this remark during the release of the accident report that found that the truck driver, Sibusiso Siyaya was at fault, and is currently in custody.

He says the estimated cost of the project is R2.5 billion.

“Through Sanral, we have initiated interventions that will provide additional capacity on the road where the incident occurred by widening the existing road, culvert, and bridges. This will go a long way in improving road safety for all road users. The estimated cost of the project is R2.5 billion. Sanral will be ready with designs by the end of the year, but we have to engage the Ingonyama Trust to acquire more land, so we move speedily with the project.”

VIDEO | Driver error a major contributing factor in the uPhongolo crash: Fikile Mbalula