Promising young radio presenter dies in car crash

Munghana Lonene FM listeners, the media fraternity, and the Mabasa family in the Malamulele area were dealt a numbing blow, following the sudden death of one of the radio station’s most promising young presenters, Mikiel Mabasa. He died in a fatal car accident on Saturday, 28 October, after he lost control of his VW Polo and collided with an oncoming VW Amarok bakkie between Levubu and Louis Trichardt.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Hlulani Mashaba confirmed the incident. “Both drivers were travelling alone and sustained multiple injuries. The driver of the bakkie, who was a resident of Louis Trichardt, was transported to the hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, while the driver of the sedan, identified as Mikiel Mabasa, was declared dead at the scene. Investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the accident,” he said.

Mabasa (30) hosted Munghana Lonene FM’s news programme “Tiko Axi Etleli” and was much loved by his listeners.

His brother, Mr Eric Mabasa, described his death as a tragedy for the family. “We have lost a great man, a friend, who was everything to us. To tell you the truth, we are not coping. We are devastated. As for me, it is worse, as we worked together for the SABC. I do not know how to get on with life knowing that I will never see him again,” he said.

Veteran journalist Bishop Baloyi, who mentored the late Mabasa at Mala FM, where he started his radio career, said this was not a sad time for the family alone but for the entire community. “The news of his death came like a hammer blow. It took me two days to accept it and write something about the young radio presenter. This is a great loss to us all,” he said.

A memorial service will be held in Mabasa’s honour on Thursday, 2 November. He will be buried at his home village at Mulamula on Saturday, 4 November.

Date:03 November 2023

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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