Comment was withheld from official quarters on Monday on an accident allegedly involving the state vehicle of Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula.
”I am not making any comment on that story,” ministerial spokesperson Trevor Bloem said.
Asked who could be approached in the alternative, he said: ”I will leave that to your discretion.”
National police spokesperson Director Sally de Beer said: ”I was told that is being dealt with by the ministry.”
The Citizen newspaper reported that a man, woman and baby were admitted to the Leratong hospital following a collision between a Mercedes-Benz and a taxi on the West Rand on Saturday afternoon.
The Mercedes was alleged to be Nqakula’s official vehicle, and was apparently driven by a family member, the newspaper said.
It quoted a source as saying the car was driven by the minister’s brother, who allegedly fled the scene of the crash.
According to The Citizen, the Roodepoort police client-services centre confirmed the accident and that it had involved a ministerial vehicle.
Johannesburg metro police have no record of such an accident, said spokesperson Wayne Minnaar.
”We would not be on the scene if it was handled by the police. If it involved a state vehicle, the police would have been on the scene for an official investigation.”
Leratong hospital spokesperson Francina Ratsaka said a woman and her baby, who sustained fractures in the accident, were in a stable condition. A third person, also a woman, was discharged on Sunday.
She would not disclose the patients’ names.
The Democratic Alliance said the reported incident raises a number of questions.
”If it was an official vehicle, why was a member of the minister’s family using it? These vehicles are provided to Cabinet ministers at great expense to the taxpayer for the use of ministers only,” the DA said in a statement.
”More importantly, the driver is alleged to have fled the scene of the accident, which left a number of people, including a baby, seriously injured. Fleeing from the scene of an accident is a serious criminal offence.”
The police and the ministry appear to be passing the buck on the matter, referring enquiries back and forth, the DA said.
”Minister Nqakula needs to give the public his assurance that if there is evidence that a member of his family committed a criminal offence, that he or she will face the full might of the law and that they will not receive special treatment of any sort.”
The DA intends submitting parliamentary questions on the matter to ensure a full investigation is conducted. — Sapa