WARNING: SHOCKING CONTENT – Images & video of the aircraft crash wreckage that claimed 2 lives
Disclaimer: The Middelburg Observer has included images and video material of this afternoon's aircraft wreckage to accurately inform our readers about the severity of the event. No human remains are shown, however, the content may be distressing to sensitive readers.
This afternoon, two people tragically lost their lives in an aircraft crash at the Middelburg Airfield.
The plane involved in the crash, which took place between 15:00-15:30 today, is believed to have been a Rans S-10 Sakota.
The Middelburg Observer has been told that a family member of the victims travelled to the site of the accident to identify the remains.
However, because of the severity of the injuries, more time is needed to definitively confirm the identities of the two individuals inside the aircraft.
Thus, the Observer will refrain from stating the names of the deceased until the paper has spoken with the victims' family.
We also ask the public not to speculate out of respect to the loved ones dealing with this traumatic event.
A Middelburg Observer journalist also spoke with Cobus Peens, Chairman of the Middelburg Aero Club.
'Myself and everyone at the Aero Club offer our heartfelt sympathies to the family of those who lost their lives. Although not members of the Middelburg Aero Club, they (the deceased) planned to become affiliated and made use of our facilities to store their aircraft.'
Peens further stated that Mayday-SA, a 'group of volunteers offering a confidential and compassionate support network to South African aviation licence holders', has offered their services to the family of the victims, as well as everyone who attended the scene.
The below images and video material were taken with the permission of the police at the scene, after the bodies had been removed from the plane by forensics.
@middelburgobserver
WARNING: SHOCKING CONTENT – Video material of the aircraft crash wreckage at the Middelburg Airfield that claimed 2 lives Disclaimer: The Middelburg Observer has included images and video material of this afternoon's aircraft wreckage to accurately inform our readers about the severity of the event. No human remains are shown, however, the content may be distressing to sensitive readers.
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Any attempt to prosecute her under such conditions would not only violate Section 35 of the Constitution, which guarantees fair trial rights and due process but also contravene international legal norms governing extradition and state sovereignty. This ruling affirms that procedural integrity is not merely a technicality, but a substantive requirement of justice; the state cannot bypass lawful channels to secure an accused and still claim the authority to prosecute. To do so would be to legitimise executive overreach, dismantle legal safeguards, and invite the erosion of the rule of law under the guise of criminal justice. Systemic Indictment of the NPA The judgment handed down by the Free State High Court should not be read in isolation; it must be understood as a judicial demand for accountability, procedural discipline, and institutional humility. The NPA's failed prosecution of Ms Moroadi Cholota is, regrettably, not an isolated mishap . In a 2023 article co-authored with Paul M. Ngobeni (available at: " /", we called for the NPA leadership to be held accountable as we critically examined eight high-profile cases pursued by the NPA under the rubric of its ' state capture ' prosecutions. Our analysis revealed a pattern of endemic institutional failures, particularly under the leadership of the current National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Shamila Batohi. Among the most pressing concerns were the following: Politicisation of Prosecutions The NPA's alignment with factional battles in the ANC undermines its credibility. Its selective use of the Zondo Commission's findings, non-binding and inadmissible in court, has raised alarms about the weaponisation of commissions of inquiry to serve political ends. Strategic Misuse of Evidence The collapse of cases like the Estina Dairy Farm prosecution revealed the dangers of substituting public rhetoric for admissible evidence. The NPA has repeatedly stumbled in converting politically sensational findings into courtroom success. Selective Disclosure and Narrative Framing The NPA has routinely withheld countervailing evidence, especially in asset forfeiture cases such as Optimum Coal, to curate a prosecutorial narrative while undermining procedural fairness. Civil society organisations such as Freedom Under Law and Corruption Watch have raised repeated concerns about this trend. Institutional Inefficiencies Structural deficiencies, ranging from poor leadership and resource mismanagement to political interference, continue to plague the NPA's capacity to lead credible prosecutions. These points not only relate to individual accountability but also to the need for institutional redesign. The location of the NPA under executive control remains a structural vulnerability. Lack of Accountability and Transparency The NPA has consistently deflected public criticism, painting itself as the victim of attacks rather than accepting legitimate concerns about its performance. This erodes public confidence and corrodes prosecutorial independence. Calls for an independent oversight body to scrutinise prosecutorial decisions have gained renewed urgency. NPA's Compulsive Overreliance on Appeals – Default Mechanism As expected, the NPA informed South Africa that it intends to appeal the court's findings. While the doctrine of appeal is a constitutional provision, it is important to appreciate the context and primary intentions of the state in pursuing such an appeal. A fundamental yet under-examined pathology within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is its compulsive reliance on appeals, not as a last resort for justice, but as a default mechanism to shield prosecutorial ineptitude. At the heart of this phenomenon lies a psychology unmoored from accountability: senior prosecutors and executive leadership pursue prolonged legal contests not at their own personal or professional expense, but through the seemingly bottomless reservoir of the public fiscus. This distance between institutional action and individual consequence fosters a culture of indifference towards both fiscal prudence and judicial efficacy. The decision to appeal, often against the weight of legal reasoning and precedent, is thus less a matter of legal necessity than a strategic deflection—an effort to postpone institutional reckoning, preserve internal reputations, and obscure prosecutorial failures. There appears to be little regard for the economic burden imposed on the state, the rights of the accused whose lives are held in indefinite legal limbo, or the broader erosion of public trust in the justice system. In the Cholota case, this is strikingly evident: despite the court's scathing findings, the NPA has signalled its intention to appeal, oblivious to the potential litigation costs should the state be sued for unlawful detention or rights infringements. This illustrates a prosecutorial psychology that prioritises institutional face-saving over constitutional integrity, emboldened by the knowledge that the price of legal misadventure will not be borne by those who authorise it. In the final analysis, the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Shamila Batohi, can no longer be exempt from the dismal performance of the NPA . She, together with her senior executive team, must be held accountable for the institution's persistent failures, including the frivolous pursuit of appeals and plausible wasteful expenditure incurred in cases that consistently collapse in court. The NPA's demonstrably poor track record in successfully prosecuting its claimed state capture cases, cases that fail to withstand legal scrutiny, underscores a leadership crisis at the heart of the institution. In this epoch, Batohi cannot dismiss these matters as merely 10 to 12 cases out of thousands. She must acknowledge the National Prosecuting Authority's spectacular failure in effectively prosecuting its state capture cases. Judge Loubser's ruling is a reaffirmation of the rule of law. It demonstrates that even in the face of public and political pressure, courts remain the final guardians of constitutional integrity. This case should serve as a caution to state institutions: no matter the political stakes, constitutional due process cannot be bypassed without consequence. The state's case against Moroadi Cholota symbolises both a failure of the prosecutorial machinery and a moment of constitutional reckoning. Unless the NPA undertakes urgent internal reform, beginning with depoliticised leadership appointments, independent oversight mechanisms, and full adherence to international legal procedures, its credibility will remain under siege. This case is not merely about an individual wrongfully prosecuted , but about an institution, the NPA, that appears adrift from constitutional moorings, caught between political ambition and legal obligation, often repurposed for nefarious intentions. * Clyde N.S. Ramalaine is a theologian, political analyst, lifelong social and economic justice activist, published author, poet, and freelance writer. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
