A total of 36 cars were destroyed during a fire in the government garage in Qwaqwa. Photo: Tladi Moloi
A fire at the Free State government garage in Qwaqwa, South Africa, destroyed dozens of cars impounded for traffic violations. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it started outside the premises. The vehicles had been impounded for various violations by the provincial department and kept at the government garage. GroundUp arrived, and people were horrified as their cars burned. Fire fighters extinguished the fire, but most of the cars in the pound were destroyed. Some owners whose cars were not burning tried to get into the pound to take their cars out, but fire fighters denied them access.
Vice secretary of the Pan African Transport Corporation, Meeting Ntleru, called on the government to compensate those whose cars were burned, stating that people were charged a daily storage rate while their cars were impounded and that fines could be as high as R10,000. Cars could be impounded for various reasons, including traffic violations, drunk driving, illegal parking, outstanding fines, or unsafe driving conditions.
