Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa has been appointed as the acting minister of public service and administration, the Presidency said on Monday. This followed the death of Public Service and Administration Minister Collins Chabane on Sunday.

Chabane and his bodyguards Sergeant Lesiba Sekele and Sergeant Lawrence Lentsoane were killed instantly when a truck allegedly did a u-turn in front of their car on the N1 near Polokwane in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The truck driver was not injured. He was arrested on the scene and charged with culpable homicide. He would appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

President Jacob Zuma extended his condolences to the staff of the department who lost their second minister in a short space of time. Chabane’s predecessor Roy Padayachie died of natural cause in 2012. SAPA