Five dead including 2 policemen after taxi plunges down 50m embankment
by TimesLIVE · TimesLIVEFive people died, including two policemen, when a taxi plunged down a 50m embankment on the N3 near Shongweni west of Durban on Friday.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC transport and human settlements MEC Siboniso Duma said Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) officials established a “reckless Polo Driver caused the horrific accident” on the N3 towards Pietermaritzburg just after 5pm.
“A minibus taxi carrying 17 passengers — travelling to Ixopo veered off the road and rolled down the embankment. Truck drivers who witnessed the accident revealed the taxi driver, who was trying to avoid a reckless Polo driver lost control of his taxi.
“We lost four women and one male. Of the four women, one was a member of police in full uniform.”
Garrith Jamieson of ALS Paramedics said responders made their way down the embankment to the taxi and found five people had sustained major injuries and were declared dead at the scene.
He said they set up a triage station and treated 13 other passengers who sustained various injuries ranging from moderate to critical.
In the interim rescue teams made up of Durban Metro Police search and rescue, Ethekweni fire department and Mobiclaw members set up a roping system to bring the injured up to awaiting ambulances.
“After three hours all of the injured were rescued and transported to various Durban hospitals for the further care that they required. The scene then turned into a recovery operation.”
Duma said the accident happened shortly after the launch of the Durban July and Winter Holiday Road Safety Campaign.
“I have mandated the RTI team to sustain the “No Nonsense, Zero Tolerance, and Alufakwa Campaign. We remain worried about reports that show that most road accidents happen in winter and at night.”
The Road Traffic Management Corporation published the following national fatalities for the previous years:
- June 2021 — 902 road fatalities.
- June 2022 — 873 road fatalities.
- June 2023 — 833 road fatalities.
- June 2024 -923 road fatalities.
TimesLIVE