Two people have been confirmed dead and 19 others rushed to hospital following a horrific head-on collision between a minibus taxi and a bakkie on the N2 at Sibangweni Village, just outside Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. The devastating crash occurred in the early morning hours of Wednesday, according to Eastern Cape transport authorities. Emergency services arriving at the scene described a nightmare of twisted metal, shattered glass, and scattered personal belongings across the wet asphalt. Preliminary reports indicate the minibus taxi, which was reportedly carrying passengers traveling to Mthatha for the weekly market, collided head-on with an oncoming bakkie under circumstances that remain under investigation. Two individuals—believed to be the driver of the bakkie and a passenger in the taxi—were declared dead at the scene by paramedics. Nineteen other victims, some with critical injuries including fractures, head trauma, and internal bleeding, were stabilized before being transported to Mthatha General Hospital and Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the deceased pending family notification. Eastern Cape Department of Transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose condemned reckless driving on the province’s deadly roads, noting that the N2 corridor has become a “grave stretch” for accidents. “We are seeing a disturbing pattern of head-on collisions caused by overtaking in no-pass zones and driver fatigue,” Binqose said. Provincial traffic police have launched a full investigation and are appealing for eyewitnesses. The road was temporarily closed for several hours as forensic teams documented the scene and wreckage was cleared, causing significant traffic delays. This latest tragedy adds to mounting pressure on authorities to improve safety along the notoriously dangerous N2 highway.
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