Multiple vehicle road crash in South Africa kills 21

A road accident involving multiple vehicles on one of South Africa’s main routes has killed 21 people.

The collision on the N1 highway in the early hours of Monday involved two Toyota minibus taxis and a Suzuki sport utility vehicle, police spokesperson Warrant Officer Christopher Spies told reporters.

The collision in Western Cape, South Africa’s southernmost province, was one of two major crashes in the country over the past two days. Eight people were killed in an accident near Ermelo in Mpumalanga province early on Sunday. Fatal traffic accidents are a recurring problem for South Africa.

Monday’s accident closed the N1 highway 380km (240 miles) east of Cape Town, between the small towns of Prince Albert and Leeu-Gamka, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said.

The death toll “may change as emergency services and authorities in the Western Cape continue their assessment of the scene”, according to the road safety agency.

Eighteen people were declared dead at the scene of the crash, while three others were announced dead after being taken to a hospital, bringing the toll to 21, said Spies. Another four people were seriously injured.

Nearly 11,500 people died in road accidents in 2025, according to the country’s Transport Ministry.

In 2023, a head-on collision between a tour bus and a cash-in-transit truck left 20 people dead and at least 60 others injured in the northern Limpopo province.