A single vehicle lost control and left the roadway before colliding with a wall on Inanda Road towards Waterfall, resulting in the deaths of two males.
The crash occurred just after 6pm on Saturday evening, 11 April 2026.
The victims, believed to be in their twenties and thirties, sustained major injuries. They were found severely entrapped in the wreckage and were declared deceased on the scene.
ALS Paramedics responded to the incident. The Ethekweni Fire Department was dispatched to assist and used the Jaws of Life to cut the men free from the vehicle.
SAPS attended the scene to conduct an investigation.
The events leading up to the crash remain unknown.
Overstrand Municipality Baboon Monitors Use Non-Lethal Deterrents on Pringle Bay Troop During Foraging Operations
Pringle Bay, South Africa – Overstrand Municipality baboon monitors, operating under the municipality’s Adaptive Baboon Management Plan, have been documented discharging non-lethal projectiles at chacma baboons in Pringle Bay while the troop attempts to forage in and around the urban area.
The plan was fully implemented at the end of June 2024 following eco-ranger training. On 9 August 2024, Pringle Bay residents attending a ratepayers association meeting gave the Pringle Bay Ratepayers Association a mandate to engage with local and provincial government on baboon management, aligning with the rollout of this programme.
Municipal eco-rangers, employed through the Expanded Public Works Programme, are authorised to use a suite of non-lethal tools to herd the Pringle Bay troop out of town and toward natural foraging areas in the surrounding Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, including Rooiels Conservancy to the north. Approved methods include paintball markers fired at the rear ends of adult baboons from distances greater than 10 metres, with exclusions for pregnant females and juveniles, gel blasters, bird bangers for noise deterrence, high-pressure water units known as skid units or bakkie sakkies, strobe lights, and predator masks. Tools are rotated to prevent habituation. The municipality states it holds the necessary permits from CapeNature, and these techniques are described as non-injury and non-harmful.
Resident-submitted footage captured in Pringle Bay, including incidents on 29 November 2025 and 3 December 2025, shows monitors firing at baboons during operations. In one sequence, juvenile baboons were targeted, causing the troop to split and seek cover on house rooftops. Other recordings document shots at sleep sites and while baboons foraged.
Since the programme’s full implementation, multiple baboon deaths in Pringle Bay and nearby areas have prompted official investigations by Overstrand Municipality and SAPS. Key cases include:
- 24 August 2024: An adult male baboon identified as REM1, also known as Joey, the troop’s alpha male, was found dead in Pringle Bay. A post-mortem confirmed death from a punctured lung caused by a pellet from an airgun. X-rays revealed eight additional pellets from prior incidents lodged in the body. An enquiry docket was opened with Kleinmond SAPS.
- 1 December 2025: An adult female baboon was discovered deceased in Pringle Bay. The veterinarian’s examination found two recent wounds, one on the tail and one near the anus, internal bleeding with a large blood clot in the peritoneal space, and a total of eight projectiles recovered from the body. An enquiry docket was opened with Kleinmond SAPS on 5 February 2026 after procedural delays.
- 4 February 2026: A young male baboon was found dead in Silversands, Betty’s Bay. Autopsy results identified a penetrating wound to the right chest and caudal lung lobe, causing haemothorax. A projectile was recovered, and an enquiry docket was opened with Kleinmond SAPS.
Overstrand Municipality has repeatedly stated that it is illegal for unauthorised individuals to shoot or harm baboons under the Nature Conservation Ordinance. Discharging airguns or firearms in residential areas violates the Firearms Control Act. The municipality maintains that only its trained monitors may use the authorised non-lethal tools, and it urges residents to report sightings via the Baboon Hotline on 069 151 5962 rather than take independent action. Investigations into the above deaths treat them as potential illegal shootings.
Historical troop counts for the Pringle Bay chacma baboon group show fluctuations linked to human-induced factors. The troop numbered 18 individuals in October 2019, rose to 19 in June 2021, dropped to 14 in June 2022, and averaged around 18 in 2023. Many past injuries and deaths resulted from vehicle collisions, dog attacks, poisoning, and shootings stemming from property incursions, bin raids, and food access in urban zones. Under the current plan, monitors aim to reduce the troop’s time in town, with reports of full-day exclusions achieved on some occasions, though the troop continues to use urban sleep sites most evenings.
The Adaptive Baboon Management Plan operates in partnership with CapeNature and aligns with the broader Strategic Baboon Management Plan from 2019 to 2024. It emphasises resident cooperation through baboon-proofing waste bins, securing homes, removing fruit from trees, and avoiding any feeding of baboons to limit attractants. The municipality has conducted property visits and issued notices where non-compliance is noted.
As of early 2026, baboon patrols in Pringle Bay have occasionally been limited due to operational factors such as local protests, with residents advised to use community WhatsApp groups for real-time sightings in the interim.
This situation continues to generate public interest, with municipal updates stressing that the authorised non-lethal programme is intended to support both baboon welfare through reduced urban conflict and resident safety. All reported deaths remain under SAPS investigation.
Emfuleni Municipality Finance Employee Shot Dead in Targeted Attack in Vanderbijlpark
VANDERBIJLPARK – A 39-year-old female employee of the Emfuleni Local Municipality was shot and killed in broad daylight on Monday, 30 March 2026, in what authorities have described as a targeted attack.
Mani Rantsofu, who worked in the municipality’s finance department, was waiting for her white Volkswagen Polo to be serviced at Fiti Exhaust, a tyre fitment centre on Frikkie Meyer Boulevard. The incident occurred at approximately 16:00, barely a block from the Vanderbijlpark Police Station in a busy area.
According to reports, an unknown man approached Rantsofu directly and, without warning, shot her five times in the head. Nothing was stolen from the scene. The shooter then ran to a waiting blue Volkswagen Polo and sped away with accomplices. It is not clear whether the getaway vehicle had a separate driver. Security cameras in the area captured blurred footage of the incident and the vehicle involved. Eyewitnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots.
Rantsofu had been a valued member of the Emfuleni Local Municipality staff for more than 10 years. She was well known in the finance department and worked directly with members of the public, assisting residents with the municipality’s debt write-off project on a daily basis. She was single and had no children.
Hassan Mako, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance in the Emfuleni Local Municipality, confirmed the victim’s identity and role. He stated: “This is a tragic loss. She was a beautiful young woman, both inside and out. She was a valued employee at the ELM for more than 10 years. We are devastated.” Mako added that the killing appeared to be a calculated attack, noting uncertainty over whether it was work-related or personal. He expressed confidence that the South African Police Service would investigate thoroughly.
Gauteng police have opened a murder case. Officers described the victim as a 40-year-old woman who was shot and killed, with the suspects fleeing the scene. No arrests have been made. Police are appealing to members of the public, neighbouring businesses, and security firms for any information or additional footage that could identify the shooter or the blue Volkswagen Polo getaway vehicle. Investigations are continuing.
The municipality and police have not released further details on a possible motive at this stage.
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Multi-Vehicle Crash on N4 in Malelane Triggered by Bakkie Turning into Oncoming Traffic
A violent multi-vehicle collision occurred on the N4 highway in Malelane, Mpumalanga, near the Astron Energy fuel station on Friday morning.
CCTV footage of the incident shows a bakkie approaching an intersection and slowing down as if yielding to oncoming traffic. The bakkie then turned right directly into the path of a side tipper truck travelling in the opposite direction.
The side tipper truck struck the side of the bakkie, causing the bakkie to spin off the roadway. The impact forced the truck driver to lose control of the vehicle, which then veered across the road into oncoming traffic.
The out-of-control side tipper truck collided with a second side tipper truck that was travelling in the opposite direction. The first truck crashed directly into the trailer of the second truck.
Both side tipper trucks sustained extensive damage in the crash. The driver of the first side tipper truck was injured but survived. The condition of the bakkie driver has not been confirmed.
No fatalities were reported from the incident. Authorities are expected to investigate the cause of the crash further.
