Minister Grant on Fatal Crash Outside Touwsriver in Which Seven Died | Western Cape Government

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Minister Grant on Fatal Crash Outside Touwsriver in Which Seven Died

13 January 2015

Statement by Donald Grant, Minister of Transport and Public Works

Earlier this morning, I visited in hospital the passengers who sustained injuries during last night’s crash between a bus and minibus taxi on the N1.

After a briefing from officials and while visiting the General Hospital, I informally met with three members of the Vredenburg Taxi Association, whose vehicle was involved in this fatal accident at the Ceres turnoff on the N1, approximately 20 kilometres from Touwsriver.

The bus with passengers from the Eastern Cape, on their way to Cape Town, collided with a minibus taxi travelling with passengers from Umtata to Vredenburg. The crash happened just before midnight on 12 January 2015. Traffic officials and the South African Police Services were earlier at the scene investigating the crash.

Seven people died, two of them men, two women and three children. The deceased were passengers in the minibus taxi. Six seriously injured passengers of the minibus taxi were transported to the Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town. Four passengers who were slightly injured were admitted to the Worcester General Hospital.

They had not been discharged yet by 12:00 today. No passenger travelling in the bus was injured.

We expressed sympathy on behalf of the Western Cape Government to those who lost loved ones. The injured at the Worcester Hospital are receiving excellent medical care. Reckless driving and speeding remain one of the biggest causes of the high fatalities on South African roads. The Western Cape Government will continue with enforcement to ensure safer roads in the province.

We urge drivers to be vigilant when travelling; maintain safe speeds; take regular breaks when driving long distances, and ensure their passengers, especially children, wear safety belts. We also urge you to be on the lookout for pedestrians. We will try to make road and travelling conditions as safe as possible. There are still many people travelling on our roads as schools only start next week. We want all passengers on our road to arrive Safely Home.

Follow @WCGSafelyHome under the hashtag #BoozeFreeRoads

Media Enquiries: 

Siphesihle Dube
Spokesperson for the Minister of Transport and Public Works, Donald Grant
Tel: 021 483 8954
Cell: 084 233 3811
E-mail: siphesihle.dube@westerncape.gov.za