Traffic authorities in the Free State have revealed that the minibus taxi involved in Thursday’s deadly crash on the N3 between Van Reenen’s Pass and Montrose veered off its lane before colliding head-on with an oncoming truck.
Chairperson of the Road Incident Management Systems, Sipho Towa, said the taxi — which was travelling in the direction of Durban — appears to have moved into the wrong lane moments before the collision, which occurred at around 5 am.
“We were activated around 20 minutes before five o’clock for an accident on the N3 between Van Reenen’s Pass and Montrose,” Towa said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.
“On arrival, it was discovered that it was a minibus taxi which had collided with a light delivery truck. Unfortunately, eight people were declared dead on the scene, and six were taken to Thebe Hospital in Harrismith with moderate injuries.
“The road is totally closed for traffic. The impact of the collision … it looks like the taxi swayed into the wrong lane and collided with the oncoming truck. But the cause of its swaying is not clear. Law-enforcement agencies are on scene doing those investigations. We also have our accident-investigation unit on the scene.”
Towa said the SAPS has been reaching out to the families of the victims as identification continues.
“What we know is that the taxi was travelling from Virginia in the Free State and it was en route to Durban. It seems like it was holiday-makers – a group of ladies going on holiday in Durban,” he added.
Free State police spokesperson Captain Loraine Earle confirmed earlier that eight people died in the crash, while several others sustained injuries and were transported to hospital. A case of culpable homicide has been opened, and investigations into the cause of the crash are continuing.
The Road Traffic Inspectorate’s spokesperson, Sindi Msimang, meanwhile, urged motorists to exercise caution when travelling through the mountainous Van Reenen’s Pass area, which has been the scene of several fatal crashes.
Paramedics and emergency services worked for several hours to extricate trapped passengers from the wreckage. The injured were transported to Thebe Hospital in Harrismith for further medical attention.
Authorities have urged motorists to avoid the affected section of the N3 and use alternative routes while investigations continue into the cause of the crash.
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