• On October 14, the Mpumalanga Traffic Department was left in shock after the tragic passing of Joseph Mtselu, a 49-year-old Principal Provincial Inspector attached to Overload Control in Middelburg. The provincial traffic officer died just after midnight after being struck by an LDV at the weighbridge. The driver reportedly fled on foot. A case of culpable homicide was opened.

Read more here: Middelburg traffic officer identified after fatal N4 Toll road incident

• The month of October was filled with more tragedies than happy moments.
On October 26, the community learnt of six people who were killed in a horrific accident that also left eight people injured. Six people lost their lives, and eight others were seriously injured when a GWM SUV and a minibus taxi collided on the R540 Dullstroom/Lydenburg (Mashishing) road on Sunday afternoon. All six victims, five men and one woman, were passengers in the taxi and died on the scene.

Read more here: Tragic weekend on roads: Six killed, eight injured in Dullstroom crash

• On October 30, the Middelburg Observer wrote a remembrance article for the victims who lost their lives in the Dullstroom accident, where eight other people were seriously injured. We later learnt that another victim had succumbed to their injuries after the accident, bringing the death toll to seven. Three families of the victims spoke to the Observer and were truly heartbroken when they learnt of their loved ones’ sudden passing.

Read more here: Seventh person dies after deadly Dullstroom accident