Michael Sakuneka

Michael Sakuneka

At least six people were killed and 12 others injured in two separate accidents on Limpopo's roads at the weekend.

Five people were killed in a gruesome pile-up involving a taxi, a car, a minibus and a heavy duty truck at Makotopong, on the R88 between Polokwane and Mooketsi, on Saturday at about 5.30 am.

Limpopo police spokesman in the Mankweng area, Inspector Malan Nchabeleng, said the dead included three drivers and two passengers.

Nchabeleng said the accident happened when the speeding driver of the minibus driving from Polokwane towards Modjadjiskloof was trying to overtake two vehicles in front of him.

He collided head-on with the oncoming truck.

The injured were admitted to the Mankweng Hospital.

Ten people were discharged yesterday but one person is still in hospital after sustaining multiple injuries.

"We appeal to drivers to be patient with other road users in order to save lives and arrive alive at their destinations," Nchabeleng said.

He said the names of those killed in the accident would only be released after their next-of-kin had been notified.

He also advised people to park their vehicles in a safe place to prevent them from being easy targets for car thieves.

Meanwhile, in another accident, one person was killed and another seriously injured when a vehicle they were travelling in overturned on the R521 road near Vivo at the weekend.

Police said the accident happened after the motorist, who was allegedly driving at high speed, lost control after the rear tyre of the vehicle burst and the car overturned.

The injured person was admitted to a local hospital in a serious condition.