15 Sep 2020

Jwaneng police station commander, Superintendent Thuso Basuti has advised motorists to always find a safe place to rest whenever travelling long distances and feeling fatigued.

Supt Basuti said that they had realised that most road accidents that occur along the Trans-Kalahari road at night were due to fatigue.

The station commander said this in an interview after a road accident that occurred on the wee hours of Sunday claiming lives of a 57- year- old man and his 38-year-old companion about 40km before Jwaneng from Sekoma.

He said the two people were travelling from their work places in Tsabong, when tragedy befell them. “The accident was reported to us by a passerby around 430am, but we suspect it occurred much earlier than that, only that there was a limited movement of traffic to spot it on time,” he said.

Supt Basuti said that even though their investigations were still ongoing, they suspected that the driver of the vehicle, a Honda fit, lost control after falling asleep at the wheel.

“We suspect he then lost control and the vehicle slammed on the back of a stationery truck. The victims looked to have already lost their lives when we arrived, but we took them to the hospital where they were certified dead,” he said.

Supt Basuti said that when questioned, the owner of the truck indicated that the vehicle developed mechanical problems and he had to tow it off the road.

The driver is said to have left the truck to seek help.

The station commander stated that although the accident was the first fatal one in his policing area since April, it was still a concern as every loss human life was a great loss. “We cannot say it is not bad because statistics are few, remember that we are talking about human lives which are invaluable,” he said.

Superintendent Basuti also advised motorists to always be cautious of both domestic and wild animals along the Trans-Kalahari road.  ENDS