A 47-year-old truck driver has been arrested following a crash that claimed the lives of 13 people on the N1 near the Verkeerdevlei Toll Plaza in the Free State on Monday.
Authorities say the truck lost control and collided with an oncoming minibus taxi in the early hours of Monday morning.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has conveyed his condolences to the families and friends of people who lost their lives in a fatal crash.
Mbalula has expressed sadness over the road carnage and has encouraged daylight driving for improved alertness and greater visibility.
The deadly crash on the N1 between Winburg and Verkeerdevlei happened when a truck collided with a minibus taxi carrying 16 people. Thirteen people, including the taxi driver, died on the scene.
The survivors, all of them minors, have been taken to the Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein. The taxi was travelling from Johannesburg to Sterkspruit.
Free State Police, Roads and Transport spokesperson Hillary Mophethe, says the crash happened a day before the launch of the provincial Festive Season Road Safety Campaign.
Hillary Mopthethe says, ”The driver of the taxi is amongst the 13 people who died and the driver of the truck is alive a case of culpable homicide has been opened and we would love to send a message to all road users out there that they please respect the rules of the road. Schools will be closing as well and people will travelling a the Free State is at the centre so a lot of people will be crossing through the Free State.”
Both lanes of the N1 were briefly closed to traffic so that the wreckage could be cleared.
The Free State Department of Police, Roads and Transport has appealed to motorists to be cautious on the roads. Traffic officials will be deployed across the province as part of the festive season safety campaign.
The Minister has urged motorists across the country to be cautious when driving at night. According to him, statistics on traffic fatalities show that many occur at night.
