Overview
- The two sedans collided between Machadodorp and Belfast around 1am, and one additional occupant was seriously injured and treated in Belfast.
- Police and the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety have opened investigations, with preliminary indications pointing to excessive speed and dangerous overtaking.
- Mpumalanga MEC Jackie Macie urged caution during night driving and advised regular rest breaks on long trips, offering condolences to the families.
- The Road Traffic Management Corporation warned that speeding, reckless overtaking, overloading and ignoring road markings are fueling festive-season crashes, noting extensive drink-driving arrests in operations.
- Broader context includes 137 deaths in 124 crashes reported in Gauteng from 1–21 December and a separate Limpopo case where officials cited reckless and negligent driving as the probable cause.