Transport department concerned about Easter road deaths
The Transport department has expressed concern about the number of fatalities already recorded on the country's roads over the Easter weekend.
The weekend has seen a number of collisions, including one involving a bus near Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal in which 15 people were killed.
According to reports the bus was carrying more than twenty passengers, when it veered off the road, down an embankment.
The cause of the accident is being investigated, but reports suggest that the driver switched seats with another driver when the accident occurred.
"The bus crash... is once again a stark reminder that the road deaths are not just numbers, but there is a human face behind every statistic, there is a breadwinner behind every statistic, there is parent and child behind every statistic," the department says.
The department is expected to announced road fatality figures in the coming week.
But the department's Collen Msibi admits government is concerned about the number of crashes already recorded on South Africa's roads.
"That is why we have come out in numbers, there is about 18 000 traffic officers on our roads to ensure we enforce the rules of the road," says Msibi.
He has also called on motorists who are expected to take on the long road either today or tomorrow to act responsibly.