Polokwane - Mavis Chabane appeared the picture of calm when she alighted from one of the dignitaries’ cars at the deadly crash site where her husband Collins was killed.
On Sunday at about 1pm, the public service and administration minister’s wife disembarked about 15m away and approached the crash site with a grace and dignity, but as she got closer, she broke down. She was overcome by emotion when she saw the mangled wreckage of the car in which her husband perished.
Mavis weakened as she continued walking, crying out aloud. Two women helped her retain her balance.
Even though she regained her composure, her anguish was visible.
She had just arrived from Pretoria to see for herself where Chabane and his two VIP protection officers lost their lives.
She was accompanied by several cabinet ministers and deputy ministers.
It was about 12 hours after Chabane’s official VW Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI had smashed into a truck.
Earlier, some of Chabane’s relatives who had arrived at the scene before his wife sobbed when they saw the wreckage.
A door and shards of broken glass were strewn about, even though the police and the forensic road-crash investigation services officials had partially cleared the accident scene.
Chabane died when his official vehicle crashed into a truck that was making a U-turn on the N1 highway outside Polokwane, police said.
Chabane and sergeants Lawrence Lentsoane and Lesiba Sekele died on impact.
The truck driver was unharmed.
The truck that made the alleged unlawful U-turn was in the middle of the four-lane highway when The Star arrived at the scene.
Chabane’s car was blocked by a steel roadside barrier which prevented it falling off the concrete bridge. The two vehicles were facing southwards, away from Polokwane.
Another broken-down truck was parked in the emergency lane of the north-bound freeway.
It is understood that the Nissan truck carried a spare gearbox that would be used for the broken-down truck.
Chabane’s car hit the turning truck on the rear right side.
The stretch of the highway is not lit in that area and, often, visibility is impaired at night.
By 2pm on Sunday, the N1 highway was still closed to traffic after the 1am crash.
Traffic only began flowing normally in the late afternoon.
Limpopo police spokeswoman Colonel Ronel Otto said the truck driver had sustained no injuries.
He was arrested and charged with culpable homicide.
But later, the commander of the police’s Polokwane cluster, Major-General Joseph Maepa made startling revelations about the truck driver.
He told Chabane’s wife and the entourage of cabinet ministers that the truck driver had been drinking. Maepa said the licence disc for the truck that made the U-turn had expired last year.
“We did a background check and found that he has a (pending) case of driving under the influence of alcohol in Ekurhuleni as well an assault case in Giyani (Limpopo),” Maepa divulged.
Maepa said the suspect would be charged with culpable homicide, reckless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without a valid licence disc.
He is due to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Maepa said they had received a call from the police’s 10111 hotline at 1.03am, informing them about the accident.
On Saturday, Chabane was officiating at the funeral of the late former Gazankulu prime minister and ANC MP, Chief Samuel Nxumalo, in Malamulele.
Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha, who was also at the scene, told Chabane’s wife that he first arrived at the crash site at about 5.30am.
“They (the deceased) were still here when we arrived. They were taken out at about 7.30am and I was with Deputy Minister (in the Presidency Buti) Manamela, and he helped with the identification process,” Mathabatha said.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the government needed to tighten regulations to curb road deaths caused by drunk driving.
The Star
For the record: The above story has been updated after we erroneously reported that Chabane had died in a car crash while on his way from chief Eric Nxumalo’s funeral.
In fact, Chabane had attended the funeral of Samuel Nxumalo, the former chief minister of the previous Gazankulu homeland.
Eric Nxumalo, a claimant to the Shangaan kingship, is alive.
The Star and IOL apologise to him for the error.