South Africa: Overloaded Taxi Crash Kills Eleven in Durban

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South African police tape.
29 January 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Celani Sikhakhane
  • The crash happened between M35 and R102 at Lotus Park near Isiphingo on Thursday morning between a taxi and truck.
  • Transport MEC Siboniso Duma said preliminary reports show the truck was not roadworthy and the taxi's PrPD expired in 2023.

Eleven people were killed when a minibus taxi and a truck collided near Isiphingo south of Durban on Thursday morning. The taxi was overloaded with passengers.

The crash happened between M35 and R102 at Lotus Park near Isiphingo. The taxi was carrying between 17 and 18 passengers.

Seven people were taken to hospital for treatment. Three crash victims were admitted to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital. Three others were taken to Prince Mshiyeni Hospital. One victim was admitted to eThekwini Hospital.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma said preliminary reports showed the truck was not in a roadworthy condition. The minibus taxi's PrPD expired in 2023.

Duma said the crash was a dark day for the province.

"This is the darkest day in KZN due to this horrific accident. Many lives were lost because of reckless driving. It is also concerning that the owner of the truck got a serious contract with Toyota but he failed to take good care of the vehicle," he said.

The MEC called for stronger action against drivers who cause fatal crashes. He said people who cause road carnage should now be charged with murder instead of culpable homicide.

Read the original article on Scrolla.

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