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KING WILLIAM’S TOWN – Butterworth police are investigating a case of culpable homicide after four people died and 16 were seriously injured when a minibus taxi and a car collided near Ndabakazi on the N2 outside Butterworth, Eastern Cape police said on Sunday.

The accident occurred at about 4.15pm on Sunday afternoon, Captain Jackson Manatha said.

All three occupants of the car and one person in the minibus taxi died. Sixteen other passengers in the taxi were seriously injured and were all rushed to Butterworth Hospital. The cause of the accident was not known so far, but Butterworth police detectives were investigating, Manatha said.

In another accident in the Eastern Cape, at about 3.30pm on Sunday afternoon, two women died when the car the were travelling in veered out of control and rolled near Tuturha village, Centane. The two women were related.

The driver of the car was airlifted to an East London hospital. The other passenger was rushed to Butterworth Hospital. The cause of the accident was not known, but Centane police were investigating, Manatha said.

African News Agency

Secunda – The intoxicating effects of “Ramaphoria” following the swearing in of President Cyril Ramaphosa are wearing off just as quickly as they appeared, DA leader Mmusi Maimane said on Saturday.

Maimane was addressing the party’s Mpumalanga Provincial Congress. He said he had not expected that it would have happened so soon.

“But this must surely go down in history as one of the shortest honeymoons ever,” he said.

Maimane said he stood by his offer made to Ramaphosa during the State of the Nation Debate, where he had offered to work with him where actions were in the interest of the country and its people.

Maimane said Ramaphosa had however revealed his true character, with the appointment of David Mabuza as deputy president.

“He has [also] kept a rump of corrupt, captured ministers in his Cabinet,” he said.

Maimane proceeded to list all Mabuza’s scandals.

“The man who now occupies the office of the Deputy President, David Mabuza, ran Mpumalanga like a mob boss runs his city,” he said.

“Anyone of the many scandals linked to David Mabuza should have been enough to remove him from office. But we have learnt the hard way in this country that scandals alone don’t end careers, as long as you’re connected to the right people.”

“President Ramaphosa has fallen at the first hurdle. He should have put DD Mabuza in prison, not in the Presidency,” he said.

Maimane said more concerning though, was the apparent indications that Ramaphosa had given in to populists in his own party and the Economic Freedom Fighters regarding land.

“Today in our country, the values which underpin our Constitution, and which have formed the bedrock of our national consensus since 1994 are under attack,” he said.

 “The DA is now the only party left that is prepared to come to the defence of our country’s founding values. For these are also our values. And just as we stood for these values through the darkest days of apartheid, so must we rise to fight for them again now.”

Johannesburg – Taxify is investigating the murder of Siyabonga Langelihle Ngcobo, who was found in the boot of a burnt vehicle on Thursday night.

“Taxify’s high-priority team is currently investigating this as a matter of urgency to aid police in their investigation,” said Taxify’s country manager, Gareth Taylor.

According to Sunnyside police spokesperson Captain Daniel Mavimbela, Ngcobo’s body was discovered in a Chevrolet Aveo near the Unisa Sunnyside Campus.

Read: Police call for information after body found in burnt Taxify vehicle

Mavimbela said the circumstances surrounding the murder were being investigated.

The company was deeply saddened by Ngcobo’s death, said Taylor.

He said the company had contacted his family to ensure their safety after the incident.

“Taxify is dedicated to making trips safer for drivers and riders. One such way is through partnerships. For this reason, Taxify has partnered with Namola.

“Namola is a mobile app that helps users receive emergency assistance at the push of a button when users need it most.”

The company encourages all drivers to download the app.

“Other measures that Taxify has taken to improve safety include the continuous building of relationships with law enforcement, regular communicating with drivers about possible high-risk areas, and setting up a dedicated high-priority team that deals with cases related to safety.”   

Namola EMS Group CEO Peter Matthaei said: “The tragic passing of Mr Ngcobo is both sad and unnecessary. Through our partnership with Taxify, we are working to ensure that incidents like this are easier to prevent in the future. Namola’s priority is to ensure all our users are able to get help fast in any emergency situation.”