North West police have opened a culpable homicide docket after a vehicle struck trees and lamp-posts on the Bult in Potchefstroom, killing driver Dr Pieter Henning (42), reports the Potchefstroom Herald.

According to North West police spokesperson Sergeant Kelebogile Morake, the fatal crash occurred on Wednesday night (July 29) at the intersection of Rissik and Wilgen streets.

Investigators confirmed that no other vehicles were involved after his vehicle struck trees and lamp-posts before coming to a standstill. He was declared dead on the scene, and his body was transported to the Potchefstroom mortuary for a post-mortem examination.

The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The Potchefstroom Herald contacted his next of kin, but they chose not to speak with the media during this difficult time. The local branch of RadDX also declined to comment.

Ongoing legal and professional investigations

The George Herald reports that at the time of his death, Henning was a central figure in several ongoing professional and legal investigations.

Earlier this year, he came under the spotlight when reports emerged regarding criminal charges arising from a shooting at his Stellenbosch home, alongside allegations of medical negligence following the death of a patient.

His professional footprint extended to the Garden Route through Keystone Radiology, which he expanded by opening a practice at Trefoil Square Medical Suites in George in 2020.

Breast cancer screening and inquiry

Believing the town had potential as a medical tourism destination, he introduced mobile breast cancer screening services to the region. However, the George practice later became part of an inquiry after a former employee served as a key witness in a Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) impairment inquiry, prior to the branch closing during a restructuring and rebranding phase.

Before his death, Henning faced a firearm-related criminal case, an HPCSA investigation into allegations of opioid abuse and a separate complaint alleging medical negligence. He consistently and strongly denied all allegations against him.

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