“The government remains concerned over the high number of people who die tragically on our roads,” President Zuma said.
|||Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma is concerned about the alarming number of road accidents in South Africa.
Zuma was speaking at the Khayelitsha Stadium, where thousands gathered for the memorial service for 24 people who died in a bus crash on the Hex River Pass last Friday.
The double-decker bus was carrying members of the Twelve Apostles Church in Christ in Khayelitsha when it crashed near De Doorns on its way to Cape Town. Among the dead was a child and the driver, and 45 others were injured.
The group, most of them women, were returning from a national prayer gathering in Secunda. Several other church members were following the bus in smaller buses and private cars.
“The government remains concerned over the high number of people who die tragically on our roads. This results in social and economic consequences,” Zuma said. Authorities were investigating the cause of the crash.
“As soon as the preliminary report is finalised, we will be informed of what led to the fatal crash. A number of people die every day on our roads.
“All of us should participate actively to promote road safety, as we are all affected.” Zuma said the Department of Transport was working on tighter sanctions for those who broke the rules of the road.
Members of the Western Cape government attended the memorial service, among them Human Settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela. Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Marius Fransman also attended.
Dumisani Ximbi, provincial leader of the Twelve Apostles Church in Christ, said a mass funeral service would be held on Saturday at the Khayelitsha Stadium, at 10am. “The families will decide whether to have a mass funeral or to bury their loved ones separately. It has been a trying time for the church,” he said.
nontando.mposo@inl.co.za
Cape Argus