Resident: Pongola truck crash could have been avoided if govt listened to us
Jabu Hansen said that the accident that led to the death of 20 people could have been avoided if their calls were heard.
FILE: A picture of Pongola crash that claimed 20 lives on 16 September 2022. Picture: TrafficSA/Twitter
DURBAN - A concerned Pongola resident said that the issue of trucks on the N2 highway could have been attended to had government listened to its ordinary citizens.
Jabu Hansen said that the accident that led to the death of 20 people could have been avoided if their calls were heard.
Hansen said that in June 2019, he wrote to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, raising concerns about the lack of traffic lights in the area.
He said that he didn’t get a response from Mbalula.
"We've raised concerns with the authorities. I've sent tweets to Minister Mbalula since 2019 asking him to intervene on the N2, I've sent tweets to the KZN Department of Transport, Sanral, RTMC, all of them... they just blue tick me," Hansen explained.
Hansen said that in June 2019 he informed Mbalula of the danger the N2 crossing posed to the community of Pongola.
In his tweet, Hansen mentioned that it was only a matter of time before a huge accident would occur.
But he said that his call for help fell on deaf ears.
On Friday, 20 people lost their lives in an accident on the same road.
The KwaZulu-Natal government has visited the families of the victims.
It says it will be assisting the families of the deceased with funeral arrangements.