Negligent driving was allegedly the cause of an accident between two minibus taxi along the N1 north on Friday, July 20, which claimed the lives of two people, while 13 other passengers were injured.

The accident occurred close to the Ingwe Ranch Hotel when one of the taxis involved in the crash overtook on a solid line.

Rescue workers on the scene frantically struggled to free trapped passengers from the wreckage. The injured laid scattered next to the road as medical personnel attended to them. The more seriously injured were rushed to the Louis Trichardt memorial Hospital.

The Makhado Municipality’s head of Disaster and Emergency Management, Mr Osmond Munzhelele, was also at the scene. He was totally dumbfounded at the sight of yet another horrific accident which, he stated, has become a too-frequent occurrence on the region’s roads. He later said that he is greatly concerned about that fact that accidents almost every weekend claim the lives of residents and said that something should be done as a matter of urgency to address the lawlessness on the region’s roads.

Local police spokesperson Capt Maano Sadike said the two taxis were travelling in opposite directions when the collision occurred. One taxi was carrying 13 passengers and the other one two. The driver who had allegedly caused the crash and his passenger both died. An official at the scene said that the 20m-long brake marks on the road indicate that the taxi coming from Louis Trichardt was travelling faster than the legal speed limit.

In response, the Makhado Municipality’s director of community services, Mr Peter Magwala, said that there is at this stage a minimum of two taxi accidents per month, claiming on average two to three lives. He expressed his condolences towards family members of those who lost their lives and again appealed to road users to adhere to traffic rules and regulations.

"Our people are dying because of many road users’ ignorance," he said. He added that one life lost in an accident is one life to many and that road users must, in light of this latest accident, realize what can happen as a result of negligent driving. Magwala also said that the municipality will continue to work with the Department of Roads and Transport to address the matter.