Two people lost their lives in an accident that involved a minibus taxi and an articulated truck on the R40 near Inyaka Dam on Saturday, May 24.

According to eyewitnesses, both vehicles were driving from Hazyview towards Bushbuckridge when the minibus taxi stopped abruptly to drop off a passenger.

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“The truck couldn’t stop and crashed into the back of the taxi, pushing it out of the road, and the truck overturned. It stopped by the culvert, leaving the driver with minor injuries. We removed the passengers that were still alive and called the police and ambulances, who responded swiftly,” said a witness.

The Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security, and Liaison spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi, confirmed that passengers sustained serious and minor injuries, and all were transported to Mapulaneng Hospital for medical treatment.

The drivers of both vehicles sustained minor injuries. They were treated at the hospital and released.

“We are calling on all motorists to drive with caution and always give enough signal to indicate that they are going to stop or turn so that those who are driving behind them will also slow down,” Mmusi said.

He expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to those that were injured.

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Mmusi added that investigations are underway to determine the cause of the accident and condemned the distribution of graphic images of the scene on social media, as the families of the deceased had not yet been notified.