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3 February 2023
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Steelpoort aviator and businessman identified as deceased pilot in Nelspruit aircraft crash
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A 44-year-old avid aviator and beloved businessman from Steelpoort in Limpopo, Jeff Mkhashane Mabuza, died in a light aircraft crash near the old Nelspruit Airfield outside Nelspruit (Mbombela) on Monday afternoon, 30 January 2023 at about 15h30. Emergency service personnel were called to the scene but “his lifeless and decapitated body was found next to the crash site and paramedics certified him dead.
Emer-G-Med received reports of the crash just before 16h00 and rushed to the scene on a private farm west of the old airfield. “On arrival on scene the aircraft was found in ruins,” says Emer-G-Med spokesperson Kyle van Rheenen. Mabuza was declared dead on the scene.
South African Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson Sisa Majola says their Accident and Incident Investigations Division was on-site to collect evidence and information for the investigation. “There was one occupant onboard who sustained fatal injuries,” confirms Majola. “It is not clear where the aircraft departed from or what its intended destination was.”
Majola says a preliminary report will be issued within 30 days from the day of the accident.
Police spokesperson, Brig Selvy Mohlala, said Mpumalanga Police have lodged an inquest after Mabuza died when his aircraft crashed on Monday afternoon. Mohlala said reports indicate he was flying alone in a mountainous area near Kaapsehoop Road from Steelpoort. He was heading to the old Nelspruit airport when the accident occurred.
A preliminary probe revealed Mabuza owned the aircraft but the cause of the crash was unclear and the South African Civil Aviation Authority would investigate, Mohlala said.
Tributes for the well-loved aviator have begun pouring in from friends on Facebook. Mabuza is said to have been a passionate pilot with a love of flying, and it was said his death was a huge loss to the aviation world.
Sources: The Lowvelder, The Sowetan
Emer-G-Med received reports of the crash just before 16h00 and rushed to the scene on a private farm west of the old airfield. “On arrival on scene the aircraft was found in ruins,” says Emer-G-Med spokesperson Kyle van Rheenen. Mabuza was declared dead on the scene.
South African Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson Sisa Majola says their Accident and Incident Investigations Division was on-site to collect evidence and information for the investigation. “There was one occupant onboard who sustained fatal injuries,” confirms Majola. “It is not clear where the aircraft departed from or what its intended destination was.”
Majola says a preliminary report will be issued within 30 days from the day of the accident.
Police spokesperson, Brig Selvy Mohlala, said Mpumalanga Police have lodged an inquest after Mabuza died when his aircraft crashed on Monday afternoon. Mohlala said reports indicate he was flying alone in a mountainous area near Kaapsehoop Road from Steelpoort. He was heading to the old Nelspruit airport when the accident occurred.
A preliminary probe revealed Mabuza owned the aircraft but the cause of the crash was unclear and the South African Civil Aviation Authority would investigate, Mohlala said.
Tributes for the well-loved aviator have begun pouring in from friends on Facebook. Mabuza is said to have been a passionate pilot with a love of flying, and it was said his death was a huge loss to the aviation world.
Sources: The Lowvelder, The Sowetan
