Bela-Bela – The South African Police Service has confirmed what can only be described as a tragic chain of irony on the N1, near Bela-Bela in Limpopo.
Narrating the horror, police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said on Saturday, 9 May 2026, a woman attempting to cross the busy highway with her two children was struck by the official vehicle of Health Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi.
The state car was being driven by a member of the Protection Security Services.
Brigadier Mathe said a preliminary investigation revealed that the woman was not simply crossing the road at random.
She was rushing to reach the scene of another accident — one involving her husband, who had just been fatally hit by a vehicle driven by an off-duty police officer.
In a cruel twist, while trying to reach her husband’s body, the woman and her children were caught in a collision with the Minister’s vehicle.
The mother and the baby strapped to her back succumbed to their injuries.
The Minister, his protector, and the driver remained at the scene until police and emergency services arrived. Statements were taken from those present.
Brigadier Mathe said two separate cases of culpable homicide are now under investigation.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has taken over, as both drivers involved are South African Police Service (SAPS) members.
The police extended condolences to the bereaved family, whose tragedy now spans two accidents, two SAPS-linked drivers, and one ministerial convoy.
