The Thohoyandou police are investigating two culpable homicide cases arising from incidents in the area a fortnight ago.

In the first incident, which happened on Saturday, November 1, an 18-year-old man died after the driver of a car in which he was a passenger lost control and the vehicle hit a hill.

According to police information, the driver of the Ford Focus was traveling along the road from Sibasa to Thohoyandou when he lost control of the vehicle at a curve next to Vhavenda Car Wash. The vehicle hit a pavement and then the hill; the man died at the scene. The driver and his two other passengers were treated for minor injuries and discharged.

In another incident, a 19-year-old female died on Sunday, November 2. Information at Mirror’s disposal is that the woman, who was a passenger in a Citi Golf, died at about 22:40 along the Punda Maria road when the car hit an animal. The driver of the golf was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Limpopo police spokesperson in Vhembe Captain Mashudu Malelo sent a message of caution for drivers to be extra careful when driving at night. “As we approach the festive season, we call upon all our drivers to be extra vigilant because we are expecting an increased volume of traffic. Let us all be careful and arrive alive,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Makuya police have opened an inquest docket, following the death of an eight-month-old baby at Musanda village in the Makuya area. According to Makuya police spokesperson Inspr Mashudu Madida, the incident happened on Monday, November 3, at about 19:00, after the mother had finished feeding the baby. It is alleged that the mother took the baby to bed but, after some time, the child was found to have died.

Madida confirmed that a post-mortem would be conducted to establish the exact cause of death.