Six pupils from a Limpopo School were killed on Friday morning when a taxi they were traveling in collided with a truck and another taxi on the R579 in Motetema near Groblersdal.
Authorities in the province said the accident happened when one of the taxis was overtaking unsafely around 07h00. The school children and drivers of the two taxis are among those that were confirmed dead at the scene, while others were taken to a nearby medical facility and later died.
The provincial transport department says three other people lost their lives in a separate accident on the R71 road in Ga-Makanye in the Mankweng area in Polokwane. The department spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene says a truck driver ignored a stop sign and collided swipe with a sedan and killed all three occupants.
MEC Florence Radzilane has expressed concern about the number of fatalities that the province has already recorded at this time of the year and called on motorists to be vigilant.
“These accidents are an indication that something is very wrong when it comes to driver behaviour, as these crashes are caused by reckless driving in most instances. We continue to plead with motorists to always obey the rules of the road and ensure that their vehicles are in a road-worthy condition before they embark on their trips,” said Radzilane.
The MEC announce in January this year that the province recorded a 20.8% decrease in road fatalities during the 2022 festive period.