Transport Minister Dipuo Peters, through the Road Traffic Management Corporation and the police, is investigating the cause of the crash in which Public Service Minister Collins Chabane was killed, her office said on Sunday.

“[The minister] is saddened by the untimely death of the Minister of Public Services and Administration, MP, Minister Collins Chabane,” spokesman Ishmael Mnisi said in a statement.

“Minister Peters extends her condolences to Minister Chabane’s wife, children, the entire Chabane family, his political party the ANC, friends and relatives.”

Peters also sent her condolences to the families of the two bodyguards who died in the accident with Chabane. Chabane, 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.

Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe announced that Chabane would get a special official funeral. Police arrested the driver on Sunday and opened a case of culpable homicide. He would appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Blood was drawn from him to test for alcohol.

The Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) expressed sadness at the news of Chabane’s death.

“He was dedicated and a minister with unique qualities and a great sense of emotional intelligence, characterised by his calmness and objectivity on matters of heated debates,” Denosa president Simon Hlungwani said in a statement.

“His untimely death comes at the time when his department, as the employer of public servants, was busy engaged in wage negotiations with public sector unions on improvement of working conditions for government employees for implementation on 1 April 2015.”

Denosa sent its condolences to the Chabane family, his friends, colleagues and the African National Congress.