Bad trucking behaviour causes train accident
Eco-cri met with Eskom and Rotran at Camden Power Station, not more than two weeks ago, to discuss the bad behaviour of coal transporting truck drivers on the roads. It would seem that the concerns of Eco-cri fell on deaf ears, as a driver of Mziki Transport, who was transporting coal on Sunday, 24 July, was the cause of a train accident in Havenga Street.
A truck driver form Anton le Roux Transport was driving down Havenga Street, towards the Piet Retief road, at approximately 05:50 and slowed down at the railway crossing. He saw the light of a train approaching from the right and halted at the stop sign. According to him, soon after he came to a stop he heard the train’s whistle. He looked in his rearview mirror and could not believe what he was seeing. Approaching from the back was a loaded Mziki coal transporting truck at a speed, and on the wrong side of the road. The Mziki truck sped past the stationary truck, in the path of the oncoming train. According to the driver of the stationary truck the coal transporting truck driver did not even attempt to stop or slow down. The train hit the truck and it fell on its side, with the last trailer swinging around and crashing into the cab of the stationary truck. The driver of the stationary truck reversed his truck to get out of harms way as the other truck fell over and forced the train to a halt. The drivers of both trucks were fortunately not injured, although the Mziki driver was taken to hospital for observation.
“We warned Rotran that this would happen, fortunately no one was seriously injured, but it is unnecessary damages caused. We are very concerned, as the behaviour of some truck drivers are nothing short of negligent,” Mr Athol Stark, Provincial Chairman of the Road Safety Council, said at the accident scene. AS
Blaze engulfs flat
Residents of a flat in Lion Cachet Street were struck by tragedy, when a fire started in their flat and destroyed nearly all their possessions. Runaway blaze causes massive destructionA Runaway fire, which apparently started on the farm Mooiplaas, approximately 20km from Ermelo on the road to Piet Retief, has caused massive destruction as several informal settlements, as well as a homestead, were engulfed in the blaze.
According to Ms Magdaleen Neethling of the local Fire Protection Association (FPA), the veld fire started at approximately 11:45 on Saturday, 2 July, and destroyed the government farm, Mooiplaas, located near the Overvaal road. With a strong Westerly wind blowing up to 75kph, the uncontrollable blaze quickly spread to Sheepmoor, 30km further, and the destruction continued.
Mr Johan Bosch (75) and his wife, Heleen, lost nearly all their possessions in the fire. According to Mr Bosch, whose farmhouse is located on the Roodewal road, they saw the fire speeding towards them and did all in their power to keep their thatch roof wet and the flames away. “The heat was so intense that when we were finished spraying one side of the roof with water and started on the other side, the first side would have dried already. We didn’t know what to save from the house. The house is gone, but we are alive. God gives and takes away, and we accept His will. We might have lost all our possessions, but our faith in our neighbours, friends and fellow farmers have never been stronger. Neighbours have given us accommodation and many people have assisted us with coffee, drinking water and other necessities, which we thank them for,” Mr Bosch told the Tribune yesterday. Mr Bosch estimates his loss to be R3.4 million.
According to Mr Henry Geldenhuys, Chairperson of the Transvaal Landbou Unie (TLU), approximately 8500 hectare was destroyed in the fire, which covered 17 farms, and the damage and loss of livestock, plantations, homes and feed, amounts to approximately R11 million. “The Sheepmoor community’s livestock feed have been destroyed and any farmer who have extra feed are urged to assist the affected Sheepmoor farmers. The end of winter is still a long way off and the farmers need feed, as well as financial donations, to pull them through the winter. The TLU, as well as the affected farmers, sincerely thank other farmers from the surrounding areas for their help”.
Any farmer or institution who are able to assist the affected farmers with feed, can phone Mr Geldenhuys at 083 560 1273. The TLU has also made a Nedbank Ermelo account available for persons to donate money to the farmers. Account name: Sheepmoor Plaaswag. Account number 1516 0479 314, Branch code: 151644, Reference name: Brand. LM
Vlieënier sterf naby SheepmoorDie wind in die Ermelo omgewing het op Donderdag, 16 Junie, die lewe van ‘n mikroligte vlieënier van Pretoria geëis. Die ongeluk het naby Sheepmoor, in dieselfde omgewing waar ‘n helikopter sowat twee jaar gelede met mnre. Hendrik Fourie en Dave Bransley geval het, plaasgevind.Mnre. Eddie Botha (42) van Pretoria en Arrie Fourie (39) van Boksburg, het vroeg Donderdagoggend by die Bapsfontein-vliegveld, naby Delmas opgestyg, op pad Sodwana toe, waar hulle die naweek sou vertoef. Volgens mnr. Fourie was dit redelik windstil toe hulle die oggend in Bapsfontein opgestyg het. Die wind in die Ermelo omgewing, wat met tye 62km/h gehaal het, het egter veroorsaak dat mnr. Botha se mikroligte vliegtuig se vlerke gevou, en die tuig in die grond vas gevlieg het. Mnr. Fourie het sy tuig probeer omdraai om sy vriend te hulp te snel, maar die sterk wind het gemaak dat sy mikroligte vliegtuig nie kon beweeg nie. Hy het beheer verloor toe hy ‘n noodlanding probeer maak, en sy tuig het ook grond toe geval. Hy het sy skouer gebreek en ‘n harde hou op sy regter oog opgedoen, maar het steeds die sowat 3km gestap na waar mnr. Botha se tuig geval het. Toe hy by die eerste ongelukstoneel kom, het hy gesien dat mnr. Botha reeds oorlede is. By sy aankoms was die Sheepmoor SAPD reeds op die toneel, aangesien die boere van die omgewing die tuig sien val, en die SAPD gekontak het. Mnr. Fourie is met die Life Care Response Ambulansdiens na die Medi-Clinic in Ermelo gehaas, waarna hy oorgeplaas is na die Kloof Hospitaal in Pretoria. Die Burgerlugvaart-owerheid het reeds met ‘n ondersoek na die oorsaak van die ongeluk begin. AS Counterfeit goods seized
The Ermelo Police, working closely with the Department of Home Affairs and the South African Customs Department, held a successful special operation on Friday, 10 June, and clamped down on illegal immigrants and people selling counterfeit goods. |
