A suspected drunk driver was involved in a car crash that left one person dead and another seriously injured, on Otto du Plessis Drive, at the weekend, according to traffic authorities.
Two vehicles, a Renault and Toyota Etios, collided head-on near Eerste Steen, on Sunday November 6, at about 5pm, said Cape Town traffic department spokesman Kevin Jacobs.
Firefighters had to use the jaws of life to free the injured from the wreckage. The male driver of the one vehicle and his female passenger were hospitalised with serious injuries, according to Mr Jacobs, who added that the female had subsequently died of her injuries on Monday.
Mr Jacobs said the driver of the other vehicle was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol. Both he and his male passenger were unharmed in the crash. The driver was arrested by traffic officers and taken to the Table View police station.
The 29-year-old appeared in court on Monday and was granted bail of R1000, according to Table View police spokeswoman Captain Adriana Chandler, who said a culpable-homicide charge could be added to the reckless-and-negligent-driving charge.
Melkbosstrand Ratepayers’ Association chairwoman Smokie la Grange is calling for the enforcement of a 50 km/h speed limit on the R27 from Table View through Melkbosstrand and Duynefontein. The speed limit on the stretch of road where the crash happened is currently 70km/h.
More speed traps and traffic-calming measures were also needed on that road, she said.
“Otto Du Plessis Drive at the 11th Avenue intersection in Melkbosstrand is a nightmare, not even the MyCiTi buses keep to the 60 km/h limit, and this is past the high school.
“Every other high school in the area has speed bumps and/or traffic circles, not Melkbosstrand. It’s as if we are relegated to the end of the line and the City of Cape Town never gets to the end of the line,” said Ms La Grange.
She said the Melkbosstrand community had been calling for a four-way stop at the intersection of Otto du Plessis Drive and 11th Avenue for over ten years.
Ward councillor Paul Swart said motorists and other road users needed to be especially wary of reckless drivers in the build-up to the festive season.
