Cape Town - The African National Congress (ANC) in the Western Cape on Saturday expressed shock and said it was appalled at the latest road fatalities in the province.
The party appealed to all road users to respect and follow the rules of the road. This followed the deaths of 12 people, including three children, when a minibus taxi careened out of control and rolled on the N1 near Touws River in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The ANC appealed to road users to be "more vigilant, tolerant, and polite to one another".
“This is a most appalling start to the festive season and we are saddened by these road deaths. We would like to appeal to all road users to prioritise their own safety as well as that of others,” the ANC said in a statement.
The party also appealed to road authorities to show zero tolerance to those who deliberately violated road rules. “We cannot have mayhem ruling on our roads,” the statement said.
According to media reports, Western Cape traffic chief Kenny Africa said, "Early this morning, shortly after [3am], a driver of a taxi lost control of the taxi and the vehicle overturned. In this crash 12 people lost their lives - six male occupants, three female occupants, two boys, and one girl died in this gruesome taxi crash just outside Touws River [heading to Cape Town].” Ten more people were injured in the crash.