One person died on Saturday and dozens of others were left injured after a taxi driver apparently suffered an epileptic seizure, and crashed his van while driving on the N2.
The minibus was coming from Cape Town Station deck and heading to Gugulethu with passengers at about 2pm.
Police say the driver lost control of his Toyota Quantum and it rolled before hitting a pole just before the Jakes Gerwel Drive turn-off.
Injured passengers as well as the driver lay around the van after some of them were flung out from the windows.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said a culpable homicide case was opened for investigation.
“A culpable homicide case was opened after the taxi driver lost control over his vehicle on the N2 past the Bhunga [Avenue] turn-off before Jakes Gerwel Drive in the direction of Somerset West.
“One female died. The other passengers were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment and the investigation continues.”
Eyewitness Nosipho Hlathuka, who lives close to the scene, took pictures of the accident and claims the taxi driver was speeding.
“I think the speed was over 100km/h and people were screaming when it was swerving out of the road,” she says.
“It rolled a couple of times and bodies were flying out of the windows. It was not a beautiful scene to see and the passengers say the driver had epilepsy.”
Santaco Western Cape spokesperson Gershon Geyer said this is the first time such an incident had happened.
“We as Santaco are saddened by a customer who lost her life in the accident that happened yesterday on the N2. It came to our attention that the driver suffered an epileptic seizure.
“This is the first time that this happened to the driver, according to the owner. We will give the driver the support to get medical assistance with his epilepsy.”
According to the South African National Road Traffic Act, you are not permitted to drive if you have uncontrolled epilepsy.