A 19-year-old woman was killed in a car accident involving a VW Polo and a minibus taxi on the R40 near the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) turn-off on Wednesday, January 28. She was a first-year student at the university.

According to Jan Oberholzer, operational manager of Divergent Medical Services, the accident involved a VW Polo carrying five occupants travelling from the UMP side, while the minibus taxi was travelling towards Mbombela.

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“Upon our arrival at the scene, one student, who was an occupant of the Polo, was declared dead. Three other occupants in the Polo were critically injured. They were all transported to Rob Ferreira Hospital for further medical treatment,” he said.

Oberholzer added that the occupants of the minibus taxi sustained only minor injuries and were treated and released at the scene. While the exact cause of the accident remains unknown, the taxi driver alleged that the Polo failed to stop at the turn-off despite his vehicle approaching.

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Moeti Mmusi, spokesperson for the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, confirmed that an investigation is underway.
“It is very distressing to learn that a student was killed in this accident. We send our condolences to the family and wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured,” Mmusi said. He also called on motorists to exercise caution and obey the rules of the road at all times.

*This article was amended after publishing