Times Of Swaziland: POLICE PREVENT LOOTING AFTER MALAGWANE MULTI-VEHICLE ACCIDENT

POLICE PREVENT LOOTING AFTER MALAGWANE MULTI-VEHICLE ACCIDENT
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Sibusiso Shange on 25/02/2025 08:29:00


MBABANE – A swift police intervention prevented potential looting after a
multi-vehicle accident involving two trucks and a Toyota Fortuner at Malagwane
yesterday. The accident, which caused significant traffic congestion, occurred
at the bottom of Malagwane Hill around 9 am. Witnesses reported that a boxer
truck driver transporting doors lost control and collided with a tipper truck
from behind.
The resulting disturbance caused a female driver in a Toyota Fortuner to become
involved while attempting to avoid the collision. Upon arrival, police found
residents from Mvutjini and surrounding areas gathered near the overturned
trucks. Armed traffic police officers were present, and a discussion between a
firefighter and the boxer truck driver revealed that brake failure caused the
loss of control.
The boxer truck driver sustained visible injuries and was advised to seek
medical attention. Residents at the scene admitted that the prompt police
presence deterred them from looting the doors from the overturned truck. Other
residents assisted firefighters by covering an oil spill with sawdust. Chief
Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile
Vilakati confirmed the accident, stating that the boxer truck collided with the
tipper truck, leading to the involvement of the Toyota Fortuner.
The tipper truck driver was taken to Mbabane Government Hospital, while the
boxer truck driver received on-scene treatment. The Fortuner driver was
uninjured. This accident occurred at the same location where two truck drivers
recently died in similar incidents. In the first incident, a Mozambican driver
transporting paint was killed after losing control, and passersby looted the
paint before police arrived. In the second incident, a truck driver transporting
treated poles also died after losing control. This notorious corner was also the
site of a fatal pile-up in 2015, which prompted a commission of inquiry.
Recommendations from that inquiry have yet to be implemented.