/ 5 June 2001

TWELVE DEAD IN SA TAXI SMASH

TWELVE people were killed and four seriously injured on Monday when a minibus taxi collided head on with a truck on the outskirts of Johannesburg, police said. Two children – a girl and boy – were among those killed in the early morning accident west of the city centre. Eleven people died at the scene and another died later, local police said. The driver of the taxi died instantly, while the truck driver was seriously injured, Minnaar said. SA roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with road accidents killing 10 000 people every year, despite a well developed infrastructure which is the envy of the African continent. Poor maintenance of taxis and overloading is blamed for many of the road deaths. – Reuters