13-Year-Old Boy Dies After Falling From Moving Bakkie in KwaZulu-Natal

• A 13-year-old boy tragically died after falling from the back of a moving bakkie on Jabu Ngcobo Road near Trenance Park, KwaZulu-Natal
• A white Nissan NP200 was travelling towards Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, with six children seated at the back of the vehicle
• A second vehicle, reportedly travelling at high speed behind the bakkie, struck the child after he had jumped from the moving vehicle

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

A 13-year-old boy tragically died after falling from the back of a moving bakkie on Jabu Ngcobo Road near Trenance Park, KwaZulu-Natal, on Tuesday afternoon, 16 December 2025. The white Nissan NP200 was reportedly travelling towards Inanda with six children seated in the back.

Boy allegedly jumps from moving bakkie

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While the bakkie was still in motion, the boy allegedly jumped off the vehicle. A second vehicle, travelling at high speed behind the bakkie, reportedly struck him and ran him over. Members of the Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) were dispatched to the scene around 22:02 after reports of the accident. Upon arrival, officers found the boy’s body on the roadway. He had sustained severe injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, with the impact leaving him dismembered.

It was further alleged that the driver of the Nissan NP200 was under the influence of alcohol at the time and fled the scene before first responders arrived. The vehicle that struck the boy allegedly failed to stop and sped away. The NP200 driver reportedly abandoned his girlfriend and the remaining five children at the scene. The woman told the officers that the children were neighbours and had been returning from a trip to the beach.

South Africans weigh in

Social media users shared their opinions regarding the tragic incidents.

Mohamed Paradiso said:

"I was driving to Umdloti beach, and I'm pretty sure this was the same bakkie that was pulled over by the cops. The kids were not sitting inside the cargo bed but on top of the side panels."

Sivalingam Ganasen said:

"This is on the driver of the bakkie and the driver who struck the child. Also, the total disregard for the rules and regulations of the road traffic ordinance, and our total lack of proper law enforcement."

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Brendan Naidoo said:

"This could be avoided if the rules of transporting kids were upheld. The law does nothing about people travelling in the back of open bakkies. Safety rails or a canopy are a must if you have people in the back of a bakkie. The law needs to enforce this. I see adults standing on the back of open bakkies, which are travelling over 120km per hour on the N2. Safety is no longer enforced."

Luellen Smith said:

"Children should not travel on the back of an open vehicle. Deepest condolences."

Rosemary Phoenix said:

"May the child's soul rest in peace. Condolences to his family."

3 More accident-related stories

• Briefly News also reported that a young child was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on the N2 at the Kei Cuttings, between East London and Butterworth.
• Three people were killed in a crash on the N4 toll road between Matsulu and Mbombela in Mpumalanga.
• An ambulance crash in the Eastern Cape claimed the lives of a paramedic and a patient.

Source: Briefly News