Transport, Safety and Liaison MEC, Ms Weziwe Tikana will tomorrow join hundreds of mourners at the memorial service of eight road crash victims at Gxara Village in Idutywa from 10am.
The eight died following a crash on the N2 between Idutywa and Nywarha Timane towards Mthatha on July 10 when an Avanza collided with a bakkie, killing four people instantly.
In a similar incident on the same spot the next day, a light delivery vehicle (bakkie) crashed on the same spot, claiming four more lives.
“As government we are extremely concerned about the unacceptably high levels of motor vehicle crashes and injuries on our roads,” says MEC Tikana, adding that government was appealing to road users to prioritise road safety.
As part of strengthening law enforcement on the roads and reducing road crashes, the Eastern Cape Department of Transport is currently in discussions with labour unions regarding the implementation of a 24-hour, seven days-a-week traffic law enforcement service as announced by the Minister of Transport in June.
“This move will increase the visibility of our traffic law enforcement officers, a move which we believe will have a great impact in terms of reducing the road carnage.”
The 24/7 resolution will be implemented as of September 2017. The Eastern Cape will pilot this at six targeted traffic stations while further building its capacity to respond to this requirement.
