A pastor and his wife are among eight people who lost their lives in a devastating head-on collision in Mpumalanga, leaving families and a church community mourning the loss of several loved ones.
The crash happened at approximately 1:30am on Sunday, 13 September 2026, on the N17 toll road between Ermelo and Davel, near the Ermelo Toll Plaza.
Seven of the victims were travelling together in a Volkswagen sedan, while the eighth person killed was the driver and sole occupant of a Toyota sedan involved in the collision.
Authorities confirmed that the seven people travelling together were from the Zululand region of KwaZulu-Natal and were making their way to Johannesburg after attending a church ordination event in Manguzi.
Among those who died were Pastor Nhlabathi and his wife, Mrs Dumisile MaMlambo Nhlabathi.
Also among the victims were Mr Dumisane Sithole, his wife Mrs Pinky Mambonambi Sithole and their two children, as well as Mrs Cora Mambonambi Simelane.
The tragedy has devastated relatives and members of the church community connected to the victims.
Pastor Sithole was reportedly a leader at the Africa Evangelical Church in Johannesburg and originally came from Manguzi in the uMhlabuyalingana area in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
News of his death, together with his wife and two children, has left those who knew the family struggling to comprehend the scale of the tragedy.
KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Siboniso Duma has assembled a team to liaise with the families of the seven victims from the province and provide support following the crash.
Mpumalanga authorities said the eight people killed included six adults and two minors. No other injuries were recorded.
The exact cause of the collision has not yet been established and an investigation is underway. Mpumalanga authorities said reckless or negligent driving has not been ruled out at this stage.
The tragedy has left several families mourning at once, while church members remember the lives of their spiritual leaders and loved ones who had been travelling back from a religious gathering.
