10 KILLED IN ACCIDENT WHILE RETURNING FROM SITSINJANA

NHLANGANO – The Easter weekend ended in tragedy for two families after 10 of their loved ones died in a tragic road traffic accident.

The 10 victims were among 25 people who were on board a mini-truck that landed in a ditch. They were mainly from two families who were returning from a traditional ceremony.
The accident happened at Siphambanweni at around 7pm on Saturday, just a few kilometres from Hluthi in the Shiselweni Region. The occupants were from attending a traditional wedding (sitsinjana) at Ondiyaneni in Hosea, heading to Tidulini at Sigwe, when the driver of the Toyota Dyna they were travelling in lost control of the vehicle.

Discharged

The driver, who is aged 31 years, was rushed to hospital where he was treated and discharged. Sources privy to what transpired shared that the driver lost control of the mini-truck, which landed in the ditch. Some people are said to have been trapped under the truck. Police were called to the scene wherein all the injured occupants were rushed to Matsanjeni Health Centre.
According to eyewitnesses, nine of the people were certified dead upon arrival at Matsanjeni Health Centre and one died while undergoing treatment at Hlatikhulu Government Hospital.

Passengers

The source further related that 10 passengers were admitted to Hlatikhulu and Matsanjeni health facilities while five, including the driver, were treated and discharged. Yesterday, there were still some traditional regalia strewn at the scene and there were broken glasses, supposedly from the vehicle. Meanwhile, attempts to interview some of the family members hit a snag, as they stated they were still trying to come to terms with what befell their relatives. Some stated that they were still devastated and requested that they be accorded privacy.
One of the deceased’s family members, however, shared that her loved one was home for the holidays as he resided in Matsapha. 

“It pains us to even think that he would be alive if he did not come home last weekend,” said the family member, Doris Zwane. Zwane had requested the community members who were later involved in the accident to accompany her daughter to the ceremony. She stated that they were hoping to have a mass funeral as some of them could not afford burial costs. We are hoping to meet in one of the homesteads for the whole week and hold a mass funeral,” she said. She further stated that they reached out to the indvuna requesting for assistance in terms of purchasing coffins or caskets to bury their loved ones. She went on to state that they were yet to meet and discuss other logistics. Meanwhile, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the accident. She said the 10 deceased passengers were from Timphandzeni and Tidulini and among them was a 12-yead-old.

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