The crash involving two minibus taxis and another vehicle happened in the Western Cape Province between the towns of Prince Albert and Leeu-Gamka, around 380 kilometres east of Cape Town, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said in a post on X.
The crash on the N1 highway took place around 11.30 pm on Sunday night, according to Muneera Allie, spokesperson for Western Cape Mobility, which is the provincial transport department. That department said that several other people were seriously injured.
Two Toyota minibus taxis collided head-on between Prince Albert and Leeu-Gamka in the Klein Karoo (about 380 km east of Cape Town). A Suzuki station wagon then struck one of the taxis. Police confirmed 18 people were declared dead at the scene; three more who were taken to hospital died after arrival, bringing the total to 21. Several other occupants were injured and hospitalized.
The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. local time. The N1 was closed in both directions while emergency teams worked the scene. Motorists were advised to use an alternative route via Prince Albert Road Station, the R407, and the N12 toward Beaufort West.
Western Cape police opened a culpable homicide investigation. The cause of the collision had not been determined as of Monday morning reports.
Minibus taxis are a primary form of public transport in South Africa and are frequently involved in serious road incidents.
The crash on Sunday night in the Western Cape Province took place between the small towns of Prince Albert and Leeu-Gamka, around 380km (235 miles) east of Cape Town, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, or RTMC, the national traffic agency.
Eighteen people were declared dead at the scene. Three others were declared dead after being taken to a hospital, bringing the toll to 21, Spies said. Four other people were seriously injured, according to the Western Cape Mobility Department.
The death toll “may change as emergency services and authorities in the Western Cape continue their assessment of the scene”, RTMC said.
The N1 highway was closed at the crash scene. Police opened a culpable homicide case, and the cause of the collision remained under investigation, Spies said. RTMC also sent investigators to the scene.
The Western Cape collision was one of two major crashes that killed at least 29 people across South Africa over the weekend, the government said in a statement. Eight people were killed in a separate crash near Ermelo in Mpumalanga province early on Sunday.
Minibus taxis are the main mode of public transport for millions of people in South Africa and are often involved in fatal collisions. Two separate crashes involving minibus taxis in January left at least 25 people dead, including 14 children.