The bakkie struck the middleman on Wilcocks Road at around 17:45, before flipping over and landing back on its wheels. In a video of the incident, the workers are thrown from the back of the bakkie and end up dispersed on the road.

Once the vehicle landed on its wheels again, the driver and a passenger exited the vehicle’s front cabin to look for the workers, who are believed to be employed by a construction company. Some men quickly stood on their feet again, while one lay still on the opposite side of the road.

“Seven of the 11 workers who travelled inside and on the back of the bakkie suffered minor injuries and were taken to Pelonomi Hospital and the National District Hospital,” said the spokespersons from first responders VR-Med and ER24.

Dr Elizabeth Snyman-Van Deventer, caucus leader of the FF Plus in the Mangaung Metro, said she has been reporting the numerous accidents on Wilcocks Road to the metro since July 2022. “Accidents happen almost twice a month on this street. Does someone have to die before the metro takes action to make the road safer and to do law enforcement here?” Snyman-Van Deventer asked. 

She added that she has contacted Wallace McLeod, chief of engineering at Mangaung Metro, to request that a traffic circle be constructed on the road and one traffic light be relocated, but to date, nothing has been done.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame