Pretoria - A traveller has been killed during a motor vehicle collision on the N1 north in Limpopo, near Ingwe Hotel in Vhembe District this morning.

“A light delivery vehicle is reported to have lost control and collided head-on with a truck. One person has sadly died, and two sustained slight injuries,” said Tidimalo Chuene, spokesperson for the Limpopo department of transport and community safety.

“The accident has caused traffic congestion, with vehicles moving very slowly between Makhado and Hendrik Verwoerd tunnel.

“Motorists driving from the south to north on the N1 are advised to use an alternative route - Witvlag, or exercise patience if not able to change route,” she said.

A traveller has been killed in a head-on collision this morning on the N1 towards Musina, in Limpopo. Photo: Limpopo department of transport and community safety

On Thursday, IOL reported that traffic volumes had increased as people began to make their way to their holiday destinations for the festive season.

The getaway Limpopo is one of the provinces that sees an influx of cars during the festive season, as people travel to the province while others transit to neighbouring countries.

Chuene said they had officers deployed on roads 24/7 until the end of the festive period.

The department has also heightened visibility through roadblocks and speed operations in all five districts and local municipal roads in the province.

“Since the operation started on 1 December, 145 737 vehicles were stopped and searched, 6 645 drivers tested for alcohol, 1 612 drivers were charged for speeding, 781 were charged for overloading, 841 charged for vehicles with defects and 61 vehicles were impounded.”

On Thursday, from 10am until 1pm, traffic from Kranskop to Polokwane increased rapidly.

“There’s a traffic flow starting from Beitbridge border post, Musina town up to Baobab Tollgate along the N1 road. There is a slight increase in terms of traffic volume, but everything is under control. Traffic officers are deployed according to the different critical points to ensure that there is free flow of traffic,” Chuene said.

Meanwhile, the N3 highway between Johannesburg and Durban has started to experience high traffic volumes.

IOL