Horror on the N10: Five Dead in Remote Eastern Cape Crash Amid Festive Safety Push

In a tragic start to the high-risk festive travel period, five people have lost their lives in a multi-vehicle collision on the N10 highway between Cookhouse and Gqeberha. The fatal crash occurred on Saturday, casting a sombre shadow over the national launch of the 2025/26 road safety campaign.

Emergency services remain on the remote scene, with poor cellphone network coverage hampering the flow of information. The road has been closed to traffic as authorities work to manage the aftermath. “The situation remains fluid,” stated road safety organisation Arrive Alive, noting the challenges in gathering verified details from the isolated location.

A Grim Backdrop for a Safety Campaign

The tragedy coincides with Transport Minister Barbara Creecy’s official launch of the festive season road safety campaign in Kroonstad, Free State. The launch itself was underscored by grief, as Free State Premier Makoena Letsoho-Mathai revealed the province had just buried 11 victims from a devastating crash on the N8 earlier in November.

While Minister Creecy reported that South Africa has reduced its annual road death toll by 700 this year, the number remains staggeringly high, with over 9,400 fatalities recorded. She emphasised that human error is responsible for nine out of ten accidents.

A Targeted Enforcement Drive

In response to the persistent carnage, the minister announced a targeted enforcement strategy. Eight hundred National Traffic Police officers will be deployed to high-risk provinces, including the Eastern Cape. Priority will be given to major national routes like the N1, N2, and N3, as well as secondary roads such as the R61 in the Eastern Cape.

During a roadblock in Kroonstad, Minister Creecy offered a glimmer of hope, commending motorists for responsible behaviour after early alcohol tests yielded no positive results. “That’s the way we need to behave when we get behind the wheel of a car,” she stated.

However, the five lives lost on the lonely stretch of the N10 serve as a brutal reminder of the urgent and continuous need for that responsibility. As families begin their holiday journeys, this crash underscores the fragile line between a safe arrival and catastrophe on South Africa’s roads.

{Source: Citizen}

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