Road kill and a feast for some

Road kill and feast...roaming livestock in rural areas like this one in Mphaaneng in the Nkumpi-Lepelle Local Municipality in Limpopo is among the leading causes of road fatalities. In this instance passersby helped themselves to huge chunks of meat from a cow that was apparently struck by a car. However in most cases the carcass is left untouched due to a belief that the owner of the dead animal could avenge its death by casting spells through witchcraft. Free State MEC for education Tate Makgoe is the latest prominent citizen to die in such an accident when his car ploughed into a herd of cattle early this month. Previously, in October 2012 Bafana Bafana assistant coach Thomas Madigage was killed instantly when his car struck a donkey on the R37 in Sekhukhune, Limpopo - a road that remains notorious for such accidents. The Arrive Alive advices motorists to take extra care when driving on country roads that and warns that "there is no foolproof way to keep animals away from the roads. Hoofed mammals that stand high on their legs, such as cattle, horses and antelope such as kudu pose the most danger to vehicle occupants. If they are hit they can roll onto the bonnet and into the windshield or roof, resulting in extensive damage and serious or fatal injury. Due to their height, their eyes are above most headlight beams." In some parts of Africa authorities piloted a project to prevent such accidents by attaching reflector tape on the cattle's horns. However the idea was largely rejected by livestock owners on the grounds that the reflectors would make their herds easy pickings for stock thieves. Photo: Lucas Ledwaba