In the first accident, at about 3.30pm on Sunday afternoon, a truck driving on the N3 towards Warden collided head-on with a Toyota Quantum minibus taxi driving in the opposite direction towards Villiers, about 10km from Villiers, Colonel Thandi Mbambo said.
 
Eleven passengers in the taxi died at the scene and five others were airlifted to Alberton and Mafube hospitals. The exact cause of the accident would be investigated, she said.

In a brief statement posted on the Arrive Alive website, the Free State health department said the accident, near the Wilge toll plaza, had involved two cars, a minibus taxi, and a heavy truck. Eleven people had been declared dead on the scene.

Mbabbo said that a short while earlier, at about 2pm, a white BMW driving towards Bloemfontein collided with a silver VW Polo heading in the opposite direction on the ZR Mahabane Road near Brandfort.

One passenger from the Polo died at the scene, three others were transported to hospitals in Bloemfontein, and another person was treated at the scene. The driver of the BMW, who was alone in the car, was not injured, Mbambo said. 

African News Agency (ANA)