LOCAL NEWS - The horrific crash on the N10 at the Nxuba (formerly Cradock) railway bridge on Monday, in which at least two people are reported to have lost their lives when a heavy freight truck crashed into other vehicles, has led to a public outcry about "the road of death".
Video footage circulating publicly shows a truck travelling at high speed on the wrong side of the road before colliding head-on with oncoming vehicles.
The force of the impact caused the truck to mount and bounce over at least one vehicle before coming to a stop, leaving a scene of extreme destruction.
The video shows the driver of the vehicle at the front of the oncoming traffic trying to steer the small car out of harm's way, but it has no escape route as the railway bridge locks the vehicle in.
Kabelo Mogatosi MPL, the Eastern Cape DA Shadow MEC for Transport, says this incident bears disturbing similarities to previous fatal crashes on the N10 between Nxuba and Middelburg, a route that has become notorious for serious and often fatal accidents involving heavy trucks.
He says of particular concern is the continued collapse of the Middelburg Weighbridge project, which has been effectively abandoned and remains unresolved despite repeated undertakings by the Eastern Cape Department of Transport to intervene.
"In July, DA EC Midlands Constituency Leader Heinrich Müller MPL formally raised the crisis surrounding the stalled weighbridge, highlighting severe dust pollution, unsafe road conditions and the complete absence of effective freight monitoring in Middelburg.
"The result is a critical enforcement gap on one of the province’s most dangerous freight corridors."
Mogatosi says overloaded, mechanically unfit and poorly regulated trucks continue to operate unchecked on routes such as the N10 between Middelburg and Nxuba, placing motorists at extreme risk.
He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, saying no family should have to endure such loss simply because basic road safety is not enforced.
"I will be writing to the MEC for Transport, Xolile Nqatha, demanding immediate and concrete measures to prevent further loss of life, including mandatory safety checks and enforcement for heavy freight vehicles, particularly on steep and high-risk corridors and 24/7 visible traffic law enforcement on known danger routes, with rapid intervention capability."
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