Not even the massive metal shell of the military tank could protect a soldier‚ who died in a bizarre accident in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.

The accident took place on the Oliviershoek Road near Bergville in central KZN.

The tank was sitting on top of a flatbed truck‚ which was transporting the tank to Durban ahead of Armed Forces Day next week.

SANDF spokesperson Major Hamilton Ngubane confirmed that one man had died.

“A truck had been carrying the tank and it lost control and overturned. The man that was killed was an SANDF member who was inside the tank‚” he said.

Ngubane said that the tank crew had to travel inside while in constant communication with the tank-transporting truck.

“The soldier that was killed was manning the telecommunications and was in contact with the truck driver‚” he said.

 Armed Forces Day is held in commemoration of the sinking of the SS Mendi in 1917.

In a statement‚ the SANDF said that the day would commemorate the lives lost in the sinking.

 “The people’s defence force will also showcase its military might and state-of-the-art hardware and technology in its quest to defend the territorial integrity and borders of our republic.”

 “The SANDF ensures that South Africans feel safe and secure from foreign and domestic threats.”