Five people were killed and 13 others were injured when a minibus taxi and a VW Polo collided on the N3 bound for Pietermaritzburg, just after the Marianhill Toll Plaza on Friday.
The fatal accident happened hours after KZN Transport MEC Siboniso Duma led a multi-disciplinary roadblock at the same toll plaza to mark the rollout of the Durban July and winter holiday road safety campaign.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said the crash occurred just after 5pm and first responders arrived on the scene to find chaos and carnage.
“They found a taxi and a light motor vehicle had collided before the taxi lost control and rolled down the embankment, coming to rest approximately 60 to 70 metres down,” he said.
Due to the severity of the accident, Jamieson said more ambulances as well as Advanced Life Support Paramedics were dispatched immediately to assist.
“Paramedics made their way down to the taxi and began setting up a triage station. Unfortunately, five people had sustained major injuries, and there was nothing paramedics could do for them; they were declared deceased on the scene,” he said.
Thirteen other passengers had sustained various injuries ranging from moderate to critical, he stated.
According to Jamieson, while paramedics worked to stabilise the injured, rescue teams made up of Durban Metro Police Search and Rescue, eThekwini Fire Department, and Mobiclaw began setting up a complicated roping system to bring the injured up to awaiting ambulances.
It took rescuers three hours to rescue all the injured people and transport them to various Durban hospitals for additional care that they required, he stated.
Jamieson said the scene then turned into a recovery operation.
At 11pm, MEC Duma said he received a final accident report from a team from the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI).
The recovery of five bodies has been completed, according to Duma, and one of them is a female police officer in full uniform.
“A few hours after our successful multidisciplinary roadblock, a reckless Polo driver has caused a horrific accident,” he said.
Duma said, according to the RTI team, the minibus taxi was carrying 17 passengers travelling to Ixopo.
Truck drivers who witnessed the accident reported that the taxi driver lost control while attempting to avoid the reckless Polo driver, he stated.
The MEC said the RTI team, working with Durban Metro Police, Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), and the South African Police Service, will reconstruct the accident as part of the investigation.
At this stage, Duma said authorities are trying to locate the families of the deceased.
“Three passengers are in a serious condition, and nine others sustained minor injuries. They have been taken to R.K. Khan Hospital,” he said.
Duma added that the department remains concerned about reports indicating that most road accidents occur in winter and at night.
Duma said national fatalities published by the RTMC showed that there were 902 fatalities in June 2021, 873 in June 2022, 833 in June 2023, and 923 in June 2024.
Duma offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished those in hospital a speedy recovery.
“We salute the emergency personnel, RTI, eThekwini metro police, and rescue teams for their dedication,” he stated.
karen.singh@inl.co.za
