Shongwe- Seed up the of Moloto bus crash victims’ claims

Shongwe- Seed up the  of Moloto bus crash victims’ claims

Mushakabvu Kajengo

Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe urged the Road Accident Fund (RAF) to speedily process claims of Moloto Road crash victims. Shongwe was speaking yesterday (5 December 2013) during PUTCO Bus Company’s handing over of cheques to the victim’s families in Matshiding near Siyabuswa.

The bus company presented each family with a R17 000.00 cheque. The company has further contributed towards the costs of medical treatment for those who injured during the crash The MEC also presented the families with food parcels and school uniforms.

Shongwe said that swift finalization of the claims by RAF would ensure that families do not become tempted to claim through unscrupulous lawyers who charges exorbitant amounts of money to assist them with claims. He added that some of the victims were bread winners in their households.

Speaking at the same event, PUTCO Marketing Executive, Romeo More has urged community members to assist government to reduce road crashes by not encouraging public transport drivers to drive recklessly.

More explained that in some situations passengers would encourage drivers to speed because they are in a hurry to various destinations. He said that this tendency stopped as it places lives of other road users in danger. He has further called on the public to report any bad driving to authorities and owners of transport companies in order to avoid crashes that claim lives of innocent road users. 

A prayer at the exact spot of the crash preceded the event and it was part of MEC Shongwe’s provincial launch of this year’s Sekwanele Bopha Arrive Alive Campaign for the Festive Season.

MECs Ms. Dikeledi Mahlangu (Public Works, Roads and Transport) and Simon Skhosana (Corporative Governance and Traditional Affairs) as well as Nkangala District Mayor Clr. Speedy Mashilo were also in attendance.

With regards to the Festive Season, Shongwe has called on law enforcement agencies not to show any mercy to reckless or negligent drivers during this period. He has further called for increased vigilance on the part of motorists in order to save lives. He added that road crashes place serious strain on government’s limited resources and therefore bad driving halted.