The Library Media — National & World · World Desk
Six Killed in Head-On Collision Between Minibus Taxi and Truck on South Africa’s N2
By Maya Wilson
Six people were killed and six others injured when a minibus taxi collided head-on with a truck on South Africa’s N2 highway in the Eastern Cape province on Saturday morning, November 14.
The crash happened at approximately 7:00 AM local time near eMaxesibeni, formerly known as Mount Ayliff. The six people killed — five men and one woman — were all travelling in the minibus taxi, which was heading from Alice towards Bizana when it collided with the oncoming truck, according to SABC News.
The six survivors were injured, with three sustaining serious injuries and three suffering minor injuries. The available reporting does not provide further details about their identities or conditions.
The six people who died were believed to be university students, according to the report. Their identities had not been released in the available information.
Eastern Cape Provincial Transport Department spokesperson Unathi Binqose confirmed the deaths and described the victims as young people.
“Sadly we can confirm the death of these six young people in this accident that happened on the N2 near eMaxesibeni, formerly known as Mount Ayliff,” Binqose said.
Preliminary account points to taxi crossing into truck’s path
Binqose said preliminary reports suggested the minibus taxi crossed into the path of the oncoming truck. Driver fatigue was suspected as a possible contributing factor, he said.
However, no formal cause of the collision has been established. The suggestion that fatigue may have played a role remains preliminary and should not be treated as a confirmed finding.
The available report does not provide further details about the truck driver’s condition, beyond the reported injury figures for people involved in the crash. It also does not establish whether the truck driver was among those injured.
The outcome of the investigation remains unknown. No final determination of responsibility or the precise circumstances leading to the collision was included in the reporting.
Second fatal N2 crash in less than a day
Binqose noted that the collision near eMaxesibeni occurred less than 24 hours after another serious accident on the N2, further south near Ndabakazi. That earlier crash claimed seven lives.
The two incidents brought the reported deaths on separate sections of the highway within a period of less than a day to 13.
The latest collision involved a minibus taxi travelling between Alice and Bizana and an oncoming truck. All six fatalities were among the taxi’s occupants, while six other people sustained injuries of varying severity.
The identities of those killed have not been reported. The preliminary account of the taxi crossing into the truck’s path and the possibility of driver fatigue remain subject to the investigation, with no formal cause yet established.
Maya Wilson
World Desk Lead, The Library Media
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