South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Transport, Ms Sindisiwe Lydia Chikunga lost several members of her family in a road accident that happened on the evening of Sunday, 17 July 2022 on the N11 outside Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal. In a statement seen by Pindula News, Fikile Mbalula, the minister of Transport said Chikunga’s eldest son, died in the accident together with his wife and their four children. Reads the statement:
MINISTER MBALULA EXPRESSES HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO DEPUTY MINISTER CHIKUNGA FOR HER LOSS
I have learnt with a deep sense of sadness on the passing of Deputy Minister, Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga’s eldest son, his wife and their four children. The crash that claimed their lives occurred in the evening of Sunday, 17 July 2022 on the N11 outside Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal. Their vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with another car, whose driver sustained serious injuries and is being treated in hospital. The Road Traffic Management Corporation will investigate the root cause of the crash and the report will be made available once the investigation has been concluded.
The tragic loss of a son and his entire family has left us all numb with disbelief and pain. I have reached out to Deputy Minister Chikunga in this hour of sadness and conveyed my heartfelt condolences for her loss. While words do little to console a bleeding heart and pain, I trust that she will find comfort in our support and strength to honour the memory of her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Theirs are lives that were taken too soon, candles whose flames were extinguished in the prime of their lives.
This tragic loss has strengthened our resolve to redouble our efforts to arrest the scourge of fatalities on our roads. One life lost is one life too many. The Deputy Minister is a staunch champion for road safety and there is no better fitting tribute to the memory of her loved ones than making a telling difference in saving life and limb on our roads.
Issued by: Fikile Mbalula
MINISTER OF TRANSPORT