Overview
- The Eastern Cape Transport Department confirmed nine deaths after a multi-vehicle collision on the R61 near Beyele outside Mthatha around 10 a.m. Wednesday.
- The crash involved a minibus taxi, a bakkie and a Toyota Avanza, leaving several others injured.
- ALS Paramedics initially reported seven fatalities—six women and one man—before authorities revised the count.
- Emergency crews set up on-scene triage, freed entrapped passengers and transported critical patients to nearby hospitals, with some victims taken by private vehicles.
- The R61 was closed during response operations, and police say the cause remains under investigation.