The South African Air Force has confirmed the death of eleven crew members and passengers in an air crash at Giant Castle in the Drakensberg mountains region.
Defence Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told newsmen on Thursday in Pretoria that six crew members and five passengers were involved in the crash.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that all crew members and passengers were Air Force personnel.
Mapisa-Nqakula has sent a message of condolence to the families of the victims.
NAN reports that the wreckage of the South African National Defence Force Dakota plane and the bodies of the crew members were discovered early on Thursday.
“It is sad that the incident happened on a day when the SANDF Chief of Staff was addressing a parade about the importance of safety. We pass our condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the crash.
“The South African military as a whole should mourn the passing away of their colleagues who were in that aircraft,” Mapisa-Nqakula said.
She, however, said that those killed in the crash were not part of the medical unit looking after former President Nelson Mandela.
Mapisa-Ngakula said a board of enquiry had been convened to investigate the circumstances surrounding the cause of the accident.
