‘Deeply troubling': 12 lives lost on North West roads over tragic weekend
Fatal crashes included a head-on collision involving four vehicles on the N4 near Groot Marico, which claimed five lives, and another deadly crash on the N18 near Mahikeng, which killed four.
MEC Wessels Morweng emphasised that reckless driving and overtaking were key contributors to the weekend's tragedies.
A devastating weekend on North West roads claimed the lives of 12 people between Friday and Sunday.
The tragic series of accidents has raised fresh concerns over road safety in the province.
The North West community safety and transport department confirmed the fatalities on Monday morning, detailing a string of horrific incidents across the region.
MEC Wessels Morweng expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
Morweng also confirmed that culpable homicide cases are under investigation for each incident.
The first tragedy unfolded on Friday on the N14 near Tshing in Ventersdorp, where one person lost their life.
Later that evening, a catastrophic head-on collision involving four vehicles on the N4 near Groot Marico claimed five more lives.
READ | Four women killed in N4 multi-vehicle crash in Mpumalanga
The crash occurred when two delivery vehicles, reportedly from the same company and with one towing the other, overtook illegally across a barrier line.
They collided with two oncoming vehicles, and four women and one man were killed at the scene.
The injured occupants of the delivery vehicles were transported to a hospital.
The death toll rose again on Saturday when a pedestrian died in a hit-and-run outside Potchefstroom on the N12, heading towards Stilfontein.
On Sunday evening, another head-on collision occurred between a light sedan and a light delivery vehicle on the N18 near Setlagole.
Tragically, all four occupants of the sedan – three men and one woman – died at the scene. The sedan was reportedly overtaking when the collision occurred.
READ | Western Cape roads: 23 people killed in a week, 57 arrested for drunk driving
In a separate incident near Madiba Makgabana village, a vehicle travelling towards Mafikeng struck a stray cow.
Another vehicle, closely following behind, hit the same animal. Three occupants sustained serious injuries, while a child travelling with them died at the scene.
'In total, the weekend's road accidents resulted in 12 confirmed fatalities,' Morweng stated.
'The loss of so many lives in one weekend is deeply troubling,' he said.
He added, 'We call on motorists to exercise caution and always obey road rules. Recklessness costs lives.'
He has urged all road users to remain alert when travelling on high-traffic national routes.
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