Mother and Baby Tragically Killed by Car Driven by Health Minister Dr. Motsoaledi

Bela-Bela – The South African Police Service has confirmed what can only be described as a tragic sequence of events on the N1, near Bela-Bela in Limpopo.

Describing the incident, police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe stated that on Saturday, 9 May 2026, a woman attempting to cross the busy highway with her two children was hit by the official vehicle of Health Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi.

The state vehicle was being operated by a member of the Protection Security Services.

Brigadier Mathe mentioned that a preliminary investigation indicated that the woman was not crossing the road indiscriminately.

She was hurrying to the site of another accident — one involving her husband, who had just been fatally struck by a vehicle driven by an off-duty police officer.

In a cruel twist of fate, while trying to reach her husband’s body, the woman and her children were involved in a collision with the Minister’s vehicle.

Tragically, the mother and the infant strapped to her back did not survive their injuries.

The Minister, his protector, and the driver stayed at the scene until police and emergency services arrived. Statements were gathered from those present.

Brigadier Mathe stated that two separate cases of culpable homicide are now under investigation.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has assumed responsibility, as both drivers involved are members of the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The police expressed their condolences to the grieving family, whose tragedy now encompasses two accidents, two SAPS-linked drivers, and one ministerial convoy.