Pretoria: Police in Botlokwa under the Capricorn District have identified two of the three people who lost their lives following a horrific head-on collision along the N1 road near Ha Phasa on Friday evening, 15 May 2026.

According to South African Police Service, the deceased drivers have been identified as Sergeant David Mulanga Mabeba, aged 43, who was attached to Sunnyside SAPS in Gauteng province, and retired Captain Obed Malindela Tshikhudo, aged 62, who was formerly with Westenburg SAPS in Limpopo province.

Preliminary reports indicate that police received information at about 18h50 regarding a serious motor vehicle accident on the N1 road and immediately rushed to the scene. Upon arrival, police found two severely damaged vehicles involved in a head-on collision. The first vehicle, a white Hyundai i20, was allegedly travelling from south to north when it collided with a Toyota Corolla Sprinter travelling in the opposite direction from north to south.

Inside the Hyundai i20, police discovered Sergeant Mabeba, who was alone and trapped in the vehicle. He was certified dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel. In the Toyota Corolla Sprinter, rescuers found retired Captain Tshikhudo and a female passenger trapped inside the wreckage. Emergency rescue teams used the jaws of life to extricate the victims from the vehicle. Unfortunately, both occupants were certified dead at the scene.

The female passenger, aged 53, has not yet been formally identified by her family; however, police recovered an identity document believed to belong to the deceased from the vehicle. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.