A fatal collision on one of Gqeberha’s most notorious stretches of road has wiped out an entire carload of passengers, deepening the Eastern Cape’s grim Easter road safety toll and reigniting urgent calls for responsible driving.
A devastating head-on collision on the M17 road between KwaZakhele and Motherwell in Gqeberha on Sunday afternoon, March 5, left seven people dead and a province in mourning.
The crash, which occurred at approximately 3pm, involved a Renault Triber carrying seven occupants and an articulated Fuso manganese truck driven by a single driver travelling in the opposite direction.
The Triber – transporting three males and four females – was heading upward from KwaZakhele toward Motherwell when it collided head-on with the truck, which was travelling downhill from Motherwell toward KwaZakhele.
All seven occupants of the Triber were declared dead at the scene by emergency services.
The truck driver survived and was treated for trauma.
Eastern Cape Transport Department spokesperson Unathi Binqose described the emotional weight of the crash on all those involved.
“This accident was so tragic that it took the lives of seven people,” he said.
Binqose added that the scale of the loss had shaken even seasoned road safety officials.
“When an accident of this nature occurs, it really does hit home. It takes its toll on you as a human being – it’s emotionally draining.”
Binqose also spared a thought for first responders at the scene. “I can imagine how the first respondents must be feeling seeing those bodies belonging to the people who were in that seven-seater dead,” he said.
What caused the crash
While an official investigation remains underway, early indications from dashcam footage captured by the truck point to a reckless overtaking manoeuvre as the likely cause.
Binqose explained that the footage appeared to show the Triber’s driver attempting to overtake a vehicle that was itself already overtaking another car – on a road ill-suited for such a gamble.
“If you were unfortunate enough to see the video footage from the dash cam of the truck, you’ll realise that the seven-seater’s driver seemed to have been overtaking a vehicle which was overtaking another car,” Binqose said.
The M17, he noted, has three lanes – one heading downhill and two heading uphill – leaving no room for error in that configuration.
The consequences of that split-second decision were catastrophic for six people who had no part in making it.
“He couldn’t have chosen a worse day for that to happen because it could have happened even if he was driving alone. But there are six innocent lives now that have been lost because of poor decision making,” Binqose said.
A case of culpable homicide has since been opened at Swartkops Saps.
The road remained partially closed following the incident, with motorists urged to use alternative routes or proceed with extreme caution.
Eastern Cape’s rising Easter road toll
The M17 crash is the deadliest single incident in a string of fatal accidents that have already cast a shadow over the province’s Easter Arrive Alive road safety campaign.
Binqose confirmed that the Eastern Cape’s death toll had surpassed 15 at the time of speaking, driven by at least three major crashes over the period.
Before the M17 collision, the province had recorded another crash claiming five lives, as well as a separate incident along the R67 near Whittlesea that killed three people – though that tragedy was partially tempered by the remarkable survival of a 13-year-old boy who managed to crawl out of a burning vehicle.
Pedestrian fatalities added further to the toll.
“This incident has increased our numbers of deceased people in the Eastern Cape to more than 15. I don’t have the exact numbers, but I know we had three major crashes. This one is the worst, which claimed seven lives. Before it, we had another one that claimed five lives. And then we had another one that claimed three lives,” Binqose said.
He was careful, however, to frame those figures in human terms rather than as mere statistics.
“We are not obsessing over numbers because we know that it’s not just numbers we’re talking about, but we’re talking about human lives.”
MEC calls for restraint and responsibility on the roads
Eastern Cape Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha conveyed his condolences to the families of the seven people killed, calling the loss devastating.
He used the tragedy to once again appeal to road users across the province to exercise greater care, particularly during the high-traffic Easter period.
“We are deeply saddened by this devastating loss of seven lives in a single incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones in such tragic circumstances,” Nqatha said.
He further pledged that the department would intensify law enforcement operations as part of its commitment to reducing road fatalities.
“We once again call on all road users to exercise extreme caution, remain patient, and respect the rules of the road, particularly during this high traffic period,” the MEC said.
A plea to road users
Beyond the grief and the investigation, both the MEC and the department’s spokesperson used the moment to drive home a message they say cannot be repeated often enough: that road deaths are avoidable and that every driver carries a responsibility that extends beyond their own life.
Binqose reflected on what the M17 crash should mean for every motorist who hears about it.
“That is why we always preach that there is no substitution for responsible driving,” he said.
Furthermore, Binqose invoked the department’s standing road safety message.
“We always say that maximum focus is the minimum requirement when we’re on the road – especially when you’re driving on notorious roads such as the M17.”
The truck driver, though physically unharmed, did not escape the crash unscathed.
Binqose confirmed he survived with shock but no physical injuries, and extended wishes for his emotional recovery.
Looking ahead, he expressed hope that the tragedy would translate into behavioural change on the road.
“We trust that people will learn from this incident and become better motorists. There are many families affected due to these road accidents, even as they could have been avoided. So we are saying to you as a road user: please be responsible at all times,” Binqose concluded.
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