Van Reenen’s Pass closed after truck overturns in strong winds

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport announced that the Van Reenen’s Pass near Harrismith has been closed to traffic after a truck overturned due to strong winds this morning. Department spokesperson Nonkululeko Mbatha says motorists, and truck drivers in particular, should be aware that strong winds were reported in many areas of the province.

She said drivers should reduce speed and be careful of the strong winds. Truck drivers have been asked to avoid the area until winds had subsided. Mbatha also warned motorists to drive carefully when there were run-away fires as previous major pile-ups resulted from thick smoke limiting visibility.

Mbatha advised motorists to stop before going into the smoke but not to do so once in the smoky area as other drivers might not see a stationary car when visibility is bad. She also advised motorists to either drive through the smoke slowly or turn around and avoid the area.

In the latest road accident, 20 people were injured after a collision between a taxi and a sedan at Westville in Durban. Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha says the accident happened on the Spine Road bridge in the early hours of this morning. He says 19 taxi passengers and the driver of the small car were injured. – Additional reporting by SABC

Agreement reached for monthly meeting between police and taxi drivers and bosses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One hundred days after the inception of Operation Nomakanjani, a crackdown on reckless driving in Johannesburg, the metro police have been ordered to show taxi drivers more “respect”.

The Johannesburg metro police and members of the taxi industry met yesterday after taxi drivers complained that they were being unfairly targeted by the police.

Acting metro police chief David Tembe said: “We admit that the handling of drivers has been harsh at times, and I promise to engage with my officers in order to make them aware that they need to be respectful in the way they engage with drivers.”

One driver told Tembe: “We aren’t calling for the operation to be halted or shut down. However, we feel we must alert the [metro police] that we are mistreated by police officers and we are being unfairly fined and arrested.”

Of the 2004 motorists arrested in Operation Nomakanjani, 1300 were taxi drivers .

Yesterday’s meeting ended with an agreement that a monthly meeting between police and taxi drivers and bosses would be held.

[Story by Andile Ndlovu appeared in The Times]