Five people killed, five injured in two separate Eastern Cape road crashes

Authorities say a total of five people have died and another five have been injured in two separate road crashes on Eastern Cape roads.

In one accident, three men were killed when the vehicle they were traveling in collided with a truck on the R63 near Dimbaza. Two others died in a crash on the R346 between Stutterheim and King William’s Town.

The injured have been taken to hospital. Provincial Transport Department spokesperson Unathi Bhinqose says drunk-driving is suspected to be the cause of both accidents.

“It’s five people who have died from two separate accidents across the Eastern Cape last night. In one of the accidents, three males died in an accident that happened on the R63 near Dimbaza. We are told that it was a sedan that collided head-on with a truck. Later on, there was an accident that happened near Stutterheim where two people were killed. We would like to urge our road users and our motorists to be extra cautious. The roads are wet and slippery and they are prone to accidents.”

Meanwhile, traffic volumes have started to pick up on the N4 toll route between Pretoria and Malalane, Mpumalanga.

High traffic volumes are expected this afternoon as motorists head home for the festive season. Some motorists will be crossing into Mozambique through the Lebombo border and through the Oshoek border into Eswatini.

Authorities have cautioned motorists to obey the traffic rules and regulations and avoid crashes. Provincial Community, Safety and Security spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi says their traffic officers have been deployed on all major routes.

“We are looking at the road such as the N2 between Ermelo and Mkhondo you will know that road leads to Durban  and we also experiencing high traffic volumes at R573 Moloto road and also between N4 Gauteng N4 toll road leading to Mozambique and there is a serious build-up of traffic. So far most of the toll roads seem to be experiencing an hourly volume of nearly over 500 vehicles.” – Additional report by Motsebi Monareng