As an investigation into yesterday’s crash at Fields Hill in Pinetown moves into top gear, media reports suggest that the truck was not roadworthy, a fact that was confirmed by Road Traffic Inspectorate spokesperson, Zinhle Mngomezulu, who said that the truck had been suspended from the road and should not have been in use.
Daily online news provider News24 reportedly obtained a copy of the notice calling for the truck to cease operation, listing faults such as a missing fuel cap, defects to the tyres, indicator lens, windscreen and number plates.
According to Arrive Alive, thirteen people were injured when the truck collided with three other vehicles at the intersection of Richmond Road and the M13 in Pinetown.
Following the crash, Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters, vowed to crack down heavily on unsafe vehicles and roads.
“Roads are an integral part of modern life but progress in transportation and road infrastructure must not come at the cost of injury or loss of life. There should be no road that is not a safe road,” said Peters.
She concluded the National Road Safety Summit in Durban earlier this week, vowing to develop an action plan to ensure that all road safety resolutions made at the summit would be implemented.
