Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula has expressed heartfelt condolences to Deputy Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga who lost her eldest son, his wife and their four children in a car accident on the N11 outside Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal.
The crash occurred on Sunday night when the family was involved in a head-on collision with another car, whose driver sustained serious injuries and is being treated in hospital.
“The tragic loss of a son and his entire family has left us all numb with disbelief and pain. I have reached out to the Deputy Minister in this hour of sadness and conveyed my heartfelt condolences for her loss.
“While words do little to console a bleeding heart and pain, I trust that she will find comfort in our support and strength to honour the memory of her son, daughter in law and grandchildren,” Mbalula said on Tuesday.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) will investigate the cause of the crash and the report will be made available once the investigation has concluded.
“Theirs are lives that were taken too soon, candles whose flames were extinguished in the prime of their lives. This tragic loss has strengthened our resolve to redouble our efforts to arrest the scourge of fatalities on our roads. One live lost is one too many.
“The Deputy Minister is a staunch champion for road safety and there is no better fitting tribute to the memory of her beloved than saving lives on our roads,” the Minister said.