Durban – A horrific accident in Mount Edgecombe, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), has claimed the lives of two people and left another critically injured after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed into a tree and split in two. The incident occurred around 6pm on Tuesday, prompting a swift response from emergency services.
Members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) were dispatched to the scene after motorists reported witnessing the vehicle veer off the road. "On arrival, Reaction Officers discovered a white Mazda 323 down an embankment. The driver sustained minor injuries, and two passengers were pronounced deceased. Paramedics from RUSA & KZN VIP extracted the third male from the mangled wreckage," RUSA confirmed.
According to RUSA, the driver admitted to travelling at high speed from Durban to Everest Heights when he lost control of the vehicle. He further confessed to consuming alcohol prior to the accident. The mangled wreckage of the vehicle serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of reckless driving and driving under the influence.
Five Fatalities in Bergville Accident
Tragically, this is not the only recent fatal accident in KZN. On Sunday morning, August 3, five people, including a five-year-old child, lost their lives in a horrific road accident along Rookdale Road in Bergville.
Reports indicate that the crash, which occurred in the Okhahlamba Local Municipality, resulted in one of the vehicles being engulfed in flames, with one victim burned beyond recognition. Search and rescue teams, along with firefighters, were immediately dispatched to the scene to assist.
While the identities of the victims have not yet been confirmed, the cause of the crash remains under investigation. KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, has extended condolences to the bereaved families and pledged government support during this difficult time.
"We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims," Duma said. "I have sent a team from my office and the department to ensure that they locate the families of the victims of this horrific accident." The MEC's swift response underscores the government's commitment to supporting those affected by road accidents and working towards safer roads for all.
Cape Town Accident Claims Lives of Four Teenagers
Meanwhile, in Brackenfell, Cape Town, the charred remains of four teenagers who perished in a horror crash on Saturday will undergo DNA testing. The accident occurred when the white BMW they were travelling in crashed into a tree along Cecil Morgan Drive.
Among the deceased was 17-year-old Perth Eksteen, whose father, Mark, was only able to identify him by a gold chain and beloved sneakers recovered from the scene. The other victims were identified as Adrian Le Roux, 15, Kiara-Joy Daniels, 16, and Daniel Jansen van Rensburg. Two passengers were severely injured in the accident.
A bereft Eksteen recounted the devastating experience of identifying his son's remains: "I pray that he died on impact, before the car went up in flames. I don’t even want to think of the possibility that he was burned alive. I just can’t."
He had come across a Facebook post about the horrific accident and immediately tried to phone Perth, but his call went to voicemail. After discovering that Perth was no longer at the friend's home where he had dropped him off, Eksteen instinctively drove to the crash site.
"I was directed to the mortuary. There I was told that two of the boys had been burnt very badly, so much that there was no way of recognising them," Eksteen said. "I asked them about the shoes he had been wearing. Perth had been dressed in his Jordans – they were his favourites, a pair of takkies I had bought just a month before. I had complained about the price, but he had wanted it so badly. The mortuary staff brought out those shoes. I started crying like a baby."
A chain with a cross pendant he had gifted Perth was also found on the remains. Eksteen expressed his devastation, saying: "I am devastated. I don’t know how to live with this. I can’t. I need my son to be here with me."
The father of two added: "We are planning his funeral, with a closed casket covered with photos of him and showing the life he lived. My son, against whom I would never win an argument, because he would call in his mom. She keeps telling me, ‘Mark, that’s my baby’. He was just a child. This is the kind of pain no parent should ever have to go through."
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that the circumstances surrounding the accident were being investigated. City of Cape Town local ward councillor Johann Loots added that this stretch of Cecil Morgan Drive was known for speeding and that measures to address the problem, such as speed cameras, would be explored.
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