Long Weekend Accidents: 11 People Killed in Limpopo, Over 20 Fatalities in Gauteng

• The long Heritage Day weekend led to the deaths of over 30 people in the Limpopo, Gauteng and Western Cape provinces
• Officials cited the main cause of the road accidents was motorists driving recklessly and speeding, possibly alcohol was also involved
• In Limpopo, two people were involved in an accident that led to the car catching fire and they were severely burnt

Road accidents over the long weekend have claimed over 30 lives in both Gauteng and the Limpopo provinces.

Officials cited some of the causes of accidents as being due to reckless driving and speeding as well as many roads being congested over the weekend.

The Limpopo Transport and Community Safety Department spokesperson Matome Moremi-Tauetsoala confirmed that a total of 11 people died in the province.

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Two people were involved in a car accident in Seshego in their car overturned and caught fire. Moremi-Tauetsoala stated that they were severely burnt beyond recognition, according to a report by SABC News.

Over 20 people killed on the roads in Gauteng

The Gauteng Traffic Police has confirmed that 23 people were killed in the province due to road accidents. Many of the accidents were caused by cars overturning and some pedestrians were killed due to j-walking.

The department's spokesperson Sello Maremane warned road users to be cautious as they made use of the roads over the weekend.

Six people killed in a road accident in the Western Cape

According to News24, six people lost their lives outside Worcester on Sunday. The car accident was caused by one driver losing control of their car and colliding into another car.

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The provincial transport department confirmed that this accident was the only major accident seen over the long weekend.

Road Accident Fund to reduce claims payout process from 3 years to just 1

Briefly News previously reported that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) plans to put its money where its mouth is by heavily slashing down on the current turnaround time for claim payouts.

The average waiting period for the claims process to run – from initiation stage to settlement – is three years. The organisation has the objective of whittling this down to just one year, according to a SABC News report.

IOL reported that the average payment term over the past quarter was 281 days, which was higher than the 180-day benchmark set by the RAF. But compared to the average time at the end of last year, when it took 312 days, it was an improvement.

The cash-strapped fund recently briefed parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) on its annual report, noting that its biggest cost drivers have come in the form of accidents and legal challenges.

Source: Briefly News