Pretoria, 21 November 2025 – A minibus taxi driver caused widespread panic and multiple collisions on Friday afternoon after he continued driving at high speed despite his vehicle being heavily damaged in an earlier crash.
The incident began shortly after 14:00 on the R101 (Old Warmbaths Road) near the Sefako Makgatho Drive intersection in Sinoville, northern Pretoria. According to eyewitnesses and traffic authorities, the white Toyota Quantum minibus taxi first collided with a stationary or slow-moving vehicle, resulting in severe front-end damage. The bonnet was crumpled, the bumper was hanging off, and coolant and oil were leaking onto the road.
Instead of stopping, the driver accelerated away from the initial scene, driving the clearly unroadworthy vehicle across double barrier lines into oncoming traffic. Dashcam and cellphone footage that later shared widely on social media shows the taxi swerving dangerously, forcing other motorists to take evasive action.
While attempting to flee, the taxi sideswiped at least one private vehicle and then veered into the path of a truck transporting cooking oil. The impact caused several 20-litre containers to fall from the truck and burst open on the roadway, creating a large oil spill across multiple lanes.
Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officers and Netcare 911 paramedics were dispatched to the scene. Paramedics treated three people for minor injuries sustained in the secondary collisions. No serious injuries or fatalities were reported.
TMPD spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba confirmed that the taxi was eventually brought to a halt a short distance from the oil spill when pursuing officers and members of the public boxed the vehicle in.
The driver, a 38-year-old man, was arrested on charges of reckless and negligent driving, driving an unroadworthy vehicle, and fleeing the scene of an accident. He is expected to appear in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court soon.
Authorities impounded the taxi, which was found to have no valid operating permit and multiple outstanding fines. Traffic on the R101 was disrupted for several hours while cleanup crews removed the spilled oil and cleared the damaged vehicles.
The incident has reignited public debate about the roadworthiness of minibus taxis and enforcement of traffic regulations in Gauteng.
