Tow truck driver dies responding to Mbombela accident
Willem Swart, a notable and controversial figure in the towing industry, died in a severe accident near Tshwane University of Technology at the age of 37.
![Willem Swart, a prominent and once controversial figure in the towing industry. Photo: Supplied/Tommy Thomson.](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2024/09/WhatsApp-Image-2024-09-02-at-12.14.33-1-e1725278814893-780x470.jpeg)
Willem Swart, a prominent and once controversial figure in the towing industry, died at the age of 37 near the Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) intersection at about 19:00 on Sunday night, September 1.
According to Martin Jeffrey of Emer-G-Med, who was present at the scene, Swart had been responding to an accident near Crossing Shopping Centre when he collided with another vehicle near TUT. Jeffrey described this incident as one of the worst he had ever encountered. “The impact sent his vehicle though three properties in Akwamaryn Street. When it eventually crashed to a standstill, he was flung out. After a brief search, his body was eventually discovered on top of a thatched roof,” he said.
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Swart’s career, marked by both highs and lows, had regularly been covered in Lowvelder over the years.
Tommie Thomson, owner of Thomson’s Towing and Panelbeaters, where Swart was employed at the time of his death, said Swart’s passing marks a significant loss to the towing community.