Pretoria - Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has conveyed his condolences to the families of 22 people who were killed in a head-on collision between a mini-bus taxi and a truck in the Western Cape.
According to Western Cape traffic authorities, four others were injured in the crash that occurred on the N1 between Laingsburg and Beaufort West during the early hours of Saturday morning.
The accident comes two weeks before the implementation of the new National Traffic Law Enforcement Plan, which will see traffic law enforcement officers stopping and checking no less than one million vehicles and drivers every month across South Africa until the end of October 2011, in an effort to reduce the number of road fatalities across the country.
"We want to convey our condolences to the families and friends of those killed in this horrific road crash in the Western Cape. We also wish the injured a speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families during these difficult moments," said Ndebele.
The Department of Transport, through the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), has dispatched an independent team of accident investigation and reconstruction specialists to assist in the investigation of this crash said the Department of Transport.
"Road Safety is Everybody's Business. Let us turn islands of compliance and excellence into a sea of change, a new culture, a new wave of good behaviour and commitment to safer roads in our country. Working together, we can stop this carnage," said Minister Ndebele.
