It has been a weekend marred with chaos on the roads with at least six accidents, and six fatalities in the last 24 hours.

A multi-vehicle collision involving a truck and two sedans left four people dead last night.

According to Moeti Mmusi, spokesman for Mpumalanga community safety, security and liaison, the incident occurred on the R38 between Barberton and Badplaas at around 19:30.

“It is believed that one of the vehicles, a sedan, lost control and collided with a truck before crashing head on with another vehicle,” he said.

Three people died on the scene, while the fourth, a minor, died in hospital.

“Two people are in a critical condition and more sustained serious injuries and are currently being treated at a nearby hospital in Mbombela,” said Mmusi.

In another incident, two vehicles collided head-on near the Mabalel turn-off resulting in one fatality, two critical injuries and one minor injury. Moeti said that the patients’ current condition is unknown. The incident happened yesterday around 13:00.

This morning, the sixth fatality in the last 24 hours occurred on the R40. The exact details surrounding this accident are unclear.

Read more: One dead in horror collision at Jerusalem Kop

Mpumalanga community safety, security and liaison MEC, Gabisile Shabalala called on road users to practice caution.

She attributed reckless driving to the seemingly endless death and injury on the road.

 “We all have a collective responsibility to ending these crashes. We need drivers to respect road rules at all times and  use the road in a considerate manner,” she said.

“We must all play our part, because government alone will not win the war on the bloodshed on the road. They must refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol or fatigued,” she said.

She also sent condolences to the affected families and wished those injured a speedy recovery.