Five people were killed when a minibus taxi carrying 17 passengers plunged about 50 metres down an embankment on the N3 just after the Marianhill Toll Plaza, west of Durban, on Friday night. KwaZulu-Natal transport authorities said the taxi veered off the road while trying to avoid a Volkswagen Polo whose driver allegedly lost control near the Shongweni off-ramp. The dead include two South African Police Service officers, one of whom was a female constable travelling in uniform. Twelve other passengers sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious and were taken to R.K. Khan Hospital, while rescue teams from multiple agencies spent several hours recovering bodies from the steep terrain. Provincial Transport and Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma offered condolences to the families and praised emergency personnel for their response. Department spokesman Ndabezinhle Sibiya said officials are working with taxi associations to locate relatives of the victims. A formal investigation has been opened into the conduct of the Polo driver and the overall circumstances of the crash.