Weighing in on the death of a minister
The Minister of Public Service and Administration Collins Chabane was killed in an accident early on Sunday morning.
Along with his death, two more men, his bodyguards, Sergeant Lesiba Sekele, who has been working for the late Public Service and Administration Minister since 2009, and Lawrence Lentsoane also died. Sekele, it has been revealed was the breadwinner of the family...
Why is this important?
Well let's look at the facts. According to many reports in the press and from official sources, the accident went as follows: The minister was being driven on the N1 Polokwane when a truck did a U-turn in front of their car. The driver of the truck has been charged with the death of the three in the car. Here is the bit that I want to focus on. The minister's car was travelling at an estimated 180km/h.
The speed limit in our country, which has a massive road death toll due to speeding, is 120km/h. The initial comments have baffled me. There are calls to let the driver of the truck rot in jail. Which I agree, if he was responsible he should sit in jail. However, the minister was traveling at a speed where survival due to impact is almost impossible.
The World Health Organisation says the following about speeding:
"The higher the speed of a vehicle, the shorter the time a driver has to stop and avoid a crash. A car travelling at 50 km/h will typically require 13 metres in which to stop, while a car travelling at 40 km/h will stop in less than 8.5 metres. An increase in average speed of 1 km/h typically results in a 3% higher risk of a crash involving injury, with a 4–5% increase for crashes that result in fatalities.
Speed also contributes to the severity of the impact when a collision does occur. For car occupants in a crash with an impact speed of 80 km/h, the likelihood of death is 20 times what it would have been at an impact speed of 30 km/h."
"The minister was not driving, it was his bodyguard" - Is a line I have heard a few times. While I agree with that, I also know the minister was a highly intelligent man, and he would know that 180km/h is 180km/h. He could have told them to slow down, but like most of these cars, they did not abide by the laws of the road.
Which brings me to my juggling blade theory. To act surprised by the death of this great politician, musician and struggle hero is to relinquish the idea of rational thought. Should a juggler in a circus who juggles sharp knives and one day cuts his hand open - truly be surprised or shocked at the incident? He was after all courting injury with an act that is by all intents and purposes, not normal.
Similarly, the accident, as tragic as it was, is not surprising. It should serve as a real wake up call to our government to curb this relentless pursuit of recklessness. Maybe then more bread winners and good politicians will not die.
What do you think?
( The wrecked remains of the vehicle)
Jason McCall.