By Motshwari Mo Mofokeng
Durban – The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) is feeling very sad after two different taxi accidents in KwaZulu-Natal that resulted in the deaths of one child and a taxi driver.
The first sad event happened in KwaMashu, which is north of Durban, where a minibus taxi that was taking kids from daycare flipped over in the Mount Moriah area on Wednesday afternoon. One child lost their life in the accident, and 14 others were hurt and taken to local hospitals for help.
Santaco mentioned that this event has left both the taxi industry and the community in deep sorrow, and they sent their sympathies to the family who is mourning.
In another accident in Pietermaritzburg, a 33-year-old taxi driver named Ntuthuko Makhaye died when his vehicle went off Mbubu Road, crashed into a wall, and flipped over while he had passengers.
His father, Menzi Makhaye, shared that he had just seen his son moments before the accident.
“We passed each other on the road and he honked at me. I didn’t know that was going to be his farewell,” he said.
Santaco stated that they will collaborate with authorities and other groups to improve road safety awareness in the taxi industry.
