Girl, 3, Among 4 Killed in N2 Single-Vehicle Crash, 2 Women Seriously Injured

• A single-vehicle accident involving a VW Polo on the N2 near Makhanda in the Eastern Cape claimed four lives
• A male driver, two women and a toddler died on impact, and two others, both adult females, were rushed to hospital
• Eastern Cape Transport Department spokesperson Unathi Binqose told Briefly News road safety was a concern

Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist at Briefly News. A Head of Current Affairs, Mametela reported live from the presidential inauguration of Cyril Ramaphosa and has written articles on politics, crime, courts, accidents and other topics, including sports, at The Herald and Opera News SA, among others.

MAKHANDA — A single-car collision near Makhanda claimed the lives of a male driver, two women and a three-year-old girl child.

A further two women suffered serious injuries and were rushed to hospital for treatment after a VW Polo with six people crashed on the N2 in the early morning hours of Sunday, 9 February 2025.

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Toddler among 4 killed in N2 crash

The car had reportedly hit a concrete slab and overturned.

Eastern Cape Transport Department spokesperson Unathi Binqose said it was travelling towards Gqeberha, 30km from Makhanda.

In a statement sent to Briefly News, Binqose said emergency responders deployed jaws of life to extract those trapped in the two front seats.

"The deceased included a male driver, two adult females and a toddler. Two [other] adult females were seriously injured," said Binqose.

"One was airlifted to a Gqeberha hospital, while the other was taken to a hospital in Makhanda. Local authorities [undertook] further investigations."

Binqose told Briefly News the accident was a grim reminder that road safety was a constant concern for his department.

On Sunday, 15 December 2024, three people died, and two sustained serious injuries in a head-on collision between two vehicles on the R61 near Bizana.

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Eastern Cape transport authorities confirmed that a bakkie and a sedan were involved in the accident and a culpable homicide case was under investigation.

"It's not something we merely ought to worry about during the peak seasons. The Transport MEC [Member of the Executive Council], Xolile Nqatha, calls on you and I to be extra vigilant on the road."

Van Reenen's Pass crash kills 18

In a related story, Briefly News reported that five children were among 18 killed in a horrific multi-vehicle pile-up on the N3 Toll route on Monday, 6 January.

The crash, involving a truck, a taxi, and a private car, happened at 8.30pm on the N3 Van Reenen's Pass amid disruptive weather in KwaZulu-Natal.

Source: Briefly News