A quick-thinking taxi driver in the Thohoyandou area averted what could have been a major disaster last Wednesday.
The driver, Norman Alili, was aproaching the taxi rank next to the offices of the Thulamela municipality when passengers inside noticed smoke coming out of the engine area.
Alilali (44) said the taxi that was carrying four passengers at the time from Vhufuli outside Sibasa. "At about 12:30, when I was about to make a turn into the taxi rank, one of the passengers at the back noticed smoke. I stopped immediately and told my passengers to make a dash for their dear lives, and all the passengers safely alighted from the taxi."
He said that he then opened the area where the smoke was coming from and a ball of fire engulfed the whole inside of the taxi. "There was no time to look for the fire extinguisher as the fire was very fierce and all that came to my mind was to take the burning taxi from the road to prevent other vehicles from catching fire. We managed to push it over the pavement and it completely burnt out there."
The cause of the fire is still a mystery.
Alilali further indicated that the ambulance people treated him and his passengers and released them at the scene.
Taxi owner Mr China Magoda praised the driver for having saved the passengers' lives. "Our core business is to transport passengers to reach their destinations safely. The driver did all he could to save lives and to take the vehicle from the road where other vehicles could have been affected. "