Five people are battling for their lives in the Musina Hospital after they were seriously injured when a taxi they were traveling in veered off the road before overturning along the N1 near the Plaza toll gate, police have said.

The SAPS spokesperson for Musina, Const Deborah Bob, said the accident happened on Wednesday, 14 November, at around 10:55.

"The taxi had 13 passengers on board and was traveling from Musina and heading towards Louis Trichardt when the driver lost control. It then veered off the road, resulting in its overturning and five people sustaining severe injuries," she said.

Bob said, however, that no one was killed, but the driver lost both his arms, while another woman also lost her right arm and three fingers on the left hand.

Bob said the five victims were then rushed to Musina Hospital where they are reportedly still residing. "The injured were taken to the local hospital where they are in a critical condition," said the police spokeswoman.

Bob said they had since opened a case of negligent driving against the driver. "We suspect the driver was speeding, which subsequently resulted in this development and therefore, as police, we would like to urge motorists to desist from speeding to avoid such incidents," she said.

* A 27-year-old man died after he was knocked down by a police van while trying to cross the Dzanani public road on Sunday, police have said.

The SAPS spokesman for Siloam, Insp Mboneni Mudimeli, said the incident happened near Mukuvhazwivhi Lodge on 18 November. "The victim was trying to cross the Dzanani public road and we suspect he miscalculated the distance and speed at which the car was traveling, resulting in his being hit. He died on the spot," he said. The body was then taken to a local government mortuary. Mudimeli said they have opened a culpable homicide case.

Meanwhile, police in Thohoyandou are also appealing to relatives of Agrippa Khumalo (23), a Zimbabwean, who was recently fatally knocked down by a speeding car, to come and collect the body. The body is kept at the local government mortuary. Capt Mashudu Malelo of Thohoyandou SAPS said relatives of the man should phone the police on 015 960 1000 or 082 468 8961.

* In another incident, a 16-year-old Siloam girl died while giving birth by caesarean section at Siloam Hospital on Tuesday, 20 November. Mudimeli said the girl died at around 05:00 while being operated on, but the baby managed to survive.