The plane crash at the East London Airport, in which five people were injured, will be thoroughly investigated, the transport department said on Wednesday.
"The minister of transport, Ms Dipuo Peters, takes this poignant opportunity to express her sincere commiserations to those injured in the ill-fated aircraft crash," department spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said in a statement. "The minister wishes to reassure the victims, as well as their loved ones, that the circumstances leading to the accident are being rigorously examined and that further details will be released in due course."
The plane crashed at the airport on Wednesday morning. The cause of the accident is not yet known.
Earlier, close family friend Herman Pretorius told News24 that Willem Nieuwenhuis, his wife, and three children were on the plane at the time of the crash.
He had spoken to Nieuwenhuis while he was being transported to hospital. "They were almost on the ground and it all went south. Nobody knows what happened," he said. "There are a couple of broken bones and the children are alright. It is just Willem and his wife that are hurt."
The transport department praised the Eastern Cape health and emergency services for their quick response to the accident. The Eastern Cape health department confirmed that the plane had come from Grahamstown. Spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo told News24 that the injured had been taken to St Dominic's Hospital in East London.
The runway at the airport had been closed due to the crash, Airports Company of SA (Acsa) said.
News24
