“Have Mercy”: Bakkie Goes Over Cliff on R40 Between Nelspruit and Witrivier in Horrible Accident

• A man shared a video showing a bakkie moving on the wrong side of the road before going over a cliff
• The incident happened on the R40 between Nelspruit and Witrivier, with the bakkie seemingly out of control
• Social media users were shocked by the footage, as people wondered what caused the terrifying incident

A man has left South Africans stunned after sharing footage of a terrifying road incident. Izak du Plessis posted the clip on his Facebook page on 27 October 2025 with the caption:

"Look how this bakkie runs away on the R40 between Nelspruit and Witrivier. According to information, the passengers are unharmed. Let us know if you have more information about the incident earlier today."

The video was recorded by a person who caught footage of a bakkie being driven on the wrong side of the road. This was a two-way road with a separation between the routes, so there are three lanes for oncoming traffic and three lanes for traffic going in the other direction. The bakkie was in the wrong lane, driving forward against oncoming traffic.

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At first, the vehicle is just in the wrong lane, but then it becomes clear there's some kind of issue. Whoever is trying to control the bakkie can't seem to get a good grip on it. The vehicle moves from side to side, trying to avoid oncoming traffic. It eventually runs onto the gravel part of the road, going off the tarred section.

The driver then manoeuvres the steering wheel straight to the right, which causes the bakkie to miss a truck, but eventually it goes down a cliff over the barricade. There's been no mention of the condition of the vehicle but there was mention of the passengers which stated that they were unharmed. The video went viral, getting over a million views and over 900 comments as people shared support and messages of hope.

Mzansi reacts to the tragic incident

Facebook users flooded the comments section with concern and questions:

@Ria Bornman asked:

"Goodness, what happened?"

@Carin Janse van Rensburg said:

"Looks like something happened, like a heart attack... Good luck to everyone."

@Elize van der Merwe added:

"Mercy... The man may have had a heart attack."

@Charmaine Calitz shared:

"I really hope everyone is okay. Wow, that could have been very bad."

@Adéle van der Linde commented:

"Wow! Not nice to see. One feels so powerless!"

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@Jaco Swanepoel gushed:

"Glad this guy is ok. This doesn't look intentional."

How to handle unexpected car emergencies

The gentleman shared the video on his Facebook page @izak.duplessis.752, where many viewers speculated about what could have gone wrong, suggesting that the driver had a health complication.

According to experts at RAC Horizons, there are a few car emergencies most people don’t think about, and how a person reacts can make all the difference.

If a driver suddenly loses consciousness, passengers are advised to stay calm, keep their seatbelts on and carefully steer the car to the side of the road. The car should be put in neutral so it doesn’t speed up, and the ignition should only be turned off once the vehicle has stopped completely before calling for help.

Watch the Facebook clip here.

More tragic accidents in SA

• Briefly News recently reported on how the footballing world was thrown into mourning as a young 20-year-old footballer died.
• A horrific crash claimed four lives in Mpumalanga when a vehicle carrying five people allegedly overturned.
• Three passengers of a helicopter were killed in the Northern Cape after it crashed at Danielskuil.

Source: Briefly News