Durban – A man who witnessed the N3 pile-up outside Pietermaritzburg on Monday involving 41 vehicles and resulting in the death of five people with 78 others injured said he was lucky to have survived.
In a video shared by the KZN Department of Transport, Jabulani Dlamini said he was alone in the car while driving from Umzimkhulu to Johannesburg.
He said there was a lot of mist and everything happened fast.
“There was a lot of mist. I came across multiple vehicles that had collided and I parked on the side and stepped out of the car.
“I tried to stop the cars by alerting them but the cars could not stop. People were injured and it was very chaotic,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini also used the opportunity to warn motorists to drive within the speed limit as he believed that this would reduce accidents on the roads.
“Speed kills. Let us drive carefully on the roads. I want to also thank the Hilton community, they helped us a lot. Many people got help as they were taken to Hilton Community Hall,” said Dlamini.
Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga and the MEC of Transport in KwaZulu-Natal, Sipho Hlomuka, visited the accident scene on the N3 at 12pm on Tuesday.
The minister was also joined by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), Sanral and KZN provincial traffic.