5 KILLED AS CAR BURSTS INTO FLAMES IN HEAD-ON COLLISION

MANZINI - Three people were trapped inside a car and burnt to death during a horrific road traffic accident which claimed five lives.

The accident involved two cars; a Toyota GD6 LDV, which was driven by a 36-year-old man of Elangeni and a Corsa Lite sedan. It happened on Saturday at around 11pm at Ematimatima, near Mawelawela Correctional facility, along the MR8 (Malkerns/Mhlabubovu) Public Road.

Pothole

According to a source close to the matter, the Corsa Lite sedan was coming from Malkerns going towards Mhlabubovu, while the Toyota GD6 LDV was driving in the opposite direction. The source alleged that one of the drivers tried to avoid a pothole and collided head-on with the other vehicle. He said the Corsa Lite sedan had five people, while the driver of the Toyota GD6 LDV was alone in the car. He said after the head-on collision, two passengers were ejected from the Corsa Lite, while the driver and the two others were trapped inside the car. “Later on, the car caught fire and the three occupants who were trapped inside it were burnt to death,” the source said.

He said all the six people were rushed to Mankayane Government Hospital, where the five occupants of the Corsa Lite sedan were certified dead upon arrival. The driver of the Toyota GD6 LDV was treated and discharged.  One of the passengers who died on the spot is Tjelizwe Dlamini (28) of LaMgabhi (Bhunya), who had just graduated with a Primary Teachers Diploma from William Pitcher College. Another one is Sipho Dlamini (27) of KaLuhleko, Bhunya. Sipho and Tjelizwe were friends and their demise was confirmed by senior members of their families. The names of the other deceased people will not be revealed for now, because their families are yet to inform their next of kin.  However, one of them worked for a local financial institution. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the accident.

Occupants

She said the five occupants of the Corsa Lite sedan died after the accident, while the driver of the Toyota GD6 LDV was treated and discharged in hospital. A concerned LaMgabhi community member said the MR8 Public Roads was one of the roads that needed to be revamped, as it had too many potholes. He said during the 11th Parliament, the issue of the road was discussed by the inkhundla council and the Member of Parliament (MP) took it to the House of Assembly. He said as a result, government promised to attend to it, but nothing had been done so far. The community member expressed hope that the newly-elected inkhundla council would make a follow-up because many cars were involved in accidents along the road. He said some overturned, while trying to avoid the potholes, while others damaged their tyres.

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