A devastating silence fell over the M35 highway on Tuesday morning as emergency workers carefully removed the body of a newborn baby, believed to be less than a month old, following a horrific head-on collision between two vehicles. The tragedy, which unfolded just before 7 a.m., has left the Folweni community reeling and renewed urgent calls for improved road safety on one of KwaZulu-Natal’s most dangerous routes.
The infant, whose name has not yet been released pending family notification, was traveling in a silver Toyota Tazz with her parents when a speeding sedan, reportedly attempting to overtake on a blind rise, smashed directly into them. The force of the impact crushed the front of both vehicles, sending debris scattering across the wet tarmac.
The Scene of Horror
When paramedics from Emer-G-Med and KZN Emergency Medical Services arrived on the scene just minutes after the crash, they found utter devastation. The Toyota Tazz had been pushed backward into a drainage ditch, its entire front end crumpled like paper. The second vehicle, a blue VW Polo, had spun sideways and come to rest against a concrete barrier, its driver’s side door torn open.
“The newborn baby was found in the back seat, still strapped into a car seat,” said paramedic spokesperson Garrith Jamieson, who was among the first responders. “Despite our team’s best efforts to resuscitate the child, she had suffered catastrophic head and chest injuries. There was nothing we could do. We are all heartbroken.”
The baby’s mother, a 24-year-old woman identified by relatives as Nolwazi Mkhize, was rushed to Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in a critical condition with multiple fractures and internal bleeding. The father, 27-year-old Sibusiso Mkhize, sustained moderate injuries including a broken collarbone and severe lacerations. He was treated on scene before being transported to the same hospital.
The driver of the VW Polo, a 35-year-old man, was also hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Police have confirmed that he will be placed under police guard at the hospital pending blood alcohol testing and further investigation.
A Community in Mourning
By midday, a small crowd of residents had gathered at the crash site, many weeping openly as police forensic investigators combed the area for evidence. Among them was the baby’s grandmother, 52-year-old Thandi Mkhize, who arrived after receiving a frantic phone call from her daughter.
“I spoke to Nolwazi last night. She was so happy. The baby had just smiled for the first time,” Thandi said, her voice breaking. “Now my grandchild is gone. My daughter is fighting for her life. How do I tell her when she wakes up? How does any mother survive this?”
Neighbors described the young family as “quiet and loving.” The baby, born on 28 March 2026, was the couple’s first child. She had been baptized just two weeks ago at the local Assemblies of God church.
“They named her Amahle—’the beautiful one,'” said a tearful neighbor, Busisiwe Ndlovu. “She was so tiny. We all took turns holding her at the church. Now we are planning her funeral. It is not right. It is not fair.”
Eyewitness Accounts
Several motorists who witnessed the crash described scenes of sheer terror. Thokozani Mthembu, a truck driver who was traveling behind the VW Polo, said he saw the driver pull out to overtake a slow-moving taxi on a stretch of road notorious for poor visibility.
“The Polo just swerved into the oncoming lane. There was a blind rise—he couldn’t see the Tazz coming. By the time he realized, it was too late. He tried to swerve back, but they hit head-on. The sound was like a bomb,” Mthembu said.
Another witness, a nurse who stopped to render aid before paramedics arrived, said she found the baby’s mother screaming hysterically while trying to reach into the back seat. “She was trapped in the wreckage, but she kept reaching backward. She knew. A mother always knows. It was the most horrible thing I have ever seen.”
Police Investigation and Possible Charges
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that a case of culpable homicide has been opened, and that the driver of the VW Polo is the primary focus of the investigation.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that reckless overtaking on a blind rise was the direct cause of the collision. The driver of the Polo has been hospitalized, but he will be interviewed under caution once medically stable. Depending on the outcome of the investigation and the post-mortem results, charges may be upgraded to reckless and negligent driving causing death, or even vehicular manslaughter,” Netshiunda said.
He added that weather conditions at the time were clear and dry, and that both vehicles appeared to be roadworthy. Speed is also being investigated as a contributing factor.
The M35: A Deadly Road
The M35, which connects Folweni to Umbumbulu and further rural areas, has earned a grim reputation among local drivers. Narrow in places, poorly lit, and punctuated by blind rises and sharp curves, the road sees an average of 15 fatal crashes per year, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).
Residents have long pleaded with the KZN Department of Transport to install traffic-calming measures, better signage, and—most urgently—a concrete barrier to separate opposing lanes on the most dangerous stretches.
“We have been crying for years,” said Ward 8 Councillor Mzwandile Mkhize. “We have written letters. We have held protests. And now a newborn baby is dead. How many more must die before they do something? A speed bump. A barrier. A camera. Anything.”
The Department of Transport issued a brief statement expressing condolences to the family and promising to “review safety measures along the M35.” No timeline was provided.
Calls for Action
Local road safety advocacy group, Arrive Alive KZN, condemned the crash as “entirely preventable.” Spokesperson Sanele Dlamini said: “Overtaking on a blind rise is not an accident. It is a choice. A deadly, selfish choice. This driver chose to risk everyone else’s life to save maybe 30 seconds. And a baby paid the price.”
Dlamini called for harsher penalties for reckless driving, including automatic imprisonment for causing death while overtaking illegally. “We need to stop treating cars as weapons and start treating road deaths as the homicides they often are.”
The Aftermath
As the sun set over Folweni on Tuesday evening, a small vigil began to form outside Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital. Neighbors, church members, and even strangers gathered with candles and flowers, praying for Nolwazi Mkhize’s recovery and mourning the brief life of baby Amahle.
Inside the hospital, Sibusiso Mkhize sat in a corridor, still wearing a blood-stained shirt, staring blankly at the floor. A hospital social worker sat beside him, holding his hand. He had not yet been told that his wife might not survive the night.
“I just wanted to take my girls to the clinic,” he whispered to no one in particular. “We were just going to the clinic.”
How to Help
The Mkhize family has no medical aid, and funeral costs for baby Amahle are expected to be beyond their means. The Folweni Community Policing Forum has opened a relief fund. Donations can be made at any Standard Bank branch using the following details:
- Account Name: Folweni CPF Disaster Relief
- Account Number: 406 789 1234
- Branch Code: 045426
- Reference: AMAHLE
For those wishing to attend the vigil or offer support, updates will be posted on the Folweni Community Facebook page.
A Final Word
In a cramped hospital room, a young mother fights for her life, unaware that her firstborn child is already gone. On a quiet street in Folweni, a tiny white coffin is being prepared. And on the M35, the wreckage has been cleared, but the scars remain.
The sun will rise tomorrow. Cars will speed. Drivers will overtake on blind rises. And somewhere, another family will kiss their children goodbye, not knowing it’s for the last time.
The question is not whether another tragedy will happen. The question is whether anyone in power is truly listening before it does.
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