SERIOUS charges are expected to be brought against two drivers in an accident that claimed 20 lives in Western Cape yesterday.

Transport MEC Robin Carlisle yesterday said: "We expect that very serious charges - murder or culpable homicide - will be brought against the two surviving drivers."

The accident happened on the N1 between Leeu-Gamka and Prince Albert Road at about 2am. Two taxis heading in the direction of Cape Town crashed into the side of a truck.

Western Cape police spokesman Malcolm Pojie said the minibus overturned when it was rammed from behind by another minibus. "It appeared all the people who died were occupants of the minibus taxis."

All of them, 12 women, six men, a boy and a girl, were declared dead on the scene. The truck driver and the driver of the second taxi survived.

Carlisle, pictured, said the accident happened in a 80km/h zone.

The driver of the first taxi to crash into the truck had not been identified, but was assumed to have been among the dead. "Provincial health services have confirmed that there were 20 dead, 17 injured and seven unharmed," Carlisle said.

The injured were being treated in hospitals in Beaufort West, George and Tygerburg.

Carlisle said postmortems would be carried out in Oudtshoorn as from today. He planned to introduce average speed over the Laingsburg to Prince Albert section of the N1 "as quickly as we can".

"We will intensify our focus on the causes and prevention of major accidents. I am particularly concerned about fully loaded taxis travelling, often with packed trailers, at 100km/h," Carlisle said.