A woman in her fifties was killed in a taxi crash which occured on Sunday in the late afternoon on the R34 between Vrede and Memel in the Free State.
The two tyres at the back of the taxi burst, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
The taxi then overturned at a nearby veld, killing the woman instantly and injuring seven other passengers on board. The victims were then taken to nearby Vrede Hospital.
Police spokesperson, Mmako Mophiring, says the taxi was on its way from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal. A case of culpable homicide has been opened and investigations are underway.
The accident happened just one day after Transport Minister, Dipuo Peters, urged drivers and passengers of land transport to assume collective responsibility for road safety.
Peters addressed audiences at a Transport Month launch, which was held at the Moses Kotane Local Municipality in North West.
Peters said that land transport has come into focus after it came to her attention that a majority of the accidents on roads claim the lives of young people who are the bread winners, leaving their families destitute and without income after the deaths.
Pulane Choane/Courant News
