Minibus, truck head-on collision kills 15 in South Africa

A night-time collision between a packed minibus taxi and a pick-up truck has killed 15 people in rural South Africa, a transport official said on Sunday.

Five people were in hospital with serious injuries after the crash at around midnight on Saturday to Sunday near the Eastern Cape town of Maqoma, about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of Johannesburg, provincial transport spokesperson, Unathi Binqose, told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.

The drivers of both vehicles were among the dead and an inquest would be opened to determine what happened, Binqose said.

The victims included 13 passengers in the minibus, which was reportedly travelling from the town of Qonce to Cape Town, a journey of nearly 1,000 kilometres.

Road accident-related deaths

South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network. It also has a high rate of road deaths, blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.

Road accidents claimed more than 11,800 lives in 2023, with pedestrians making up around 45% of the victims, according to the latest data from the Road Traffic Management Corporation.