DULLAH OMAR ON AN ACCIDENT INVOLVING A MINIBUS TAXI AND A TRUCK

4 June 2001

The Minister of Transport, Dullah Omar has lent with shock about an accident involving a minibus taxi and a truck this morning. Twelve people were killed and four were seriously injured when a minibus taxi collided with a truck just off Johannesburg's DF Malan Drive.

Twelve (12) occupants of the taxi, including the driver, died at the scene. The truck driver and three taxi passengers were seriously injured and were taken to a local hospital. Minister Omar conveyed his condolences to all the families and relatives of al those who died and wished the four in hospital speedy recovery. “I am aware of the hardships the families of the victims. From our side, we will accelerate the implementation of our programmes to ensure that we are able to respond more proactively to the road carnage. This may not be an appropriate time to highlight some of the key processes we have been engaged in a yearlong process of root-and-branch review of all the systems, institutions and structures that have a bearing on road traffic quality and safety management”, Minister Omar said.

“The Road to Safety Strategy is about getting to grips, for the first time in our history, with the underlying causes of crashes and deaths on our roads. It looks hard at systems and structures and proposes a wide range of interlinked investment programmes and reform actions to radically improve the safety of the total road environment. Wherever possible, it opens up space for public empowerment and private sector and community participation. We want this strategy to belong to the whole country. We are determined to ensure that it becomes an instrument for turning road safety into a national crusade”, Minister Omar added. The Road to Safety has identified six key problem areas. They are as follows:

  1. Many drivers on our roads aren’t licensed, can’t drive properly or won’t drive responsibly: speeding, moving violations and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs are still very serious concerns.
  2. Many vehicles are unfit for the road.
  3. There is extensive fraud and corruption in the driver training and licence testing system and in the vehicle testing and registration system.
  4. Poor fleet maintenance and systematic overloading are widespread in road freight and public passenger transport.
  5. There are serious disparities in road conditions nationally; and finally,
  6. We have a totally unacceptable rate of pedestrian casualties

The Road to Safety therefore concentrates its attention on the three major components of the system: the road user, the vehicle and the road environment. It says: in each area, this is what we must do, and this is how we must concentrate our resources to achieve maximum sustainable impact – in the short, medium and long term”, Minister Omar concluded.

ISSUED BY
Mike Mabasa HEAD: Media Liaison and Corporate Communication
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT
TEL: 083 680 7048
FAX: 083 676 8450