Cape Town – One person has died and two others were seriously injured in a head-on collision near Leeu Gamka, 388km from Cape Town, on the N1 in the Karoo.

Western Cape Traffic chief Kenny Africa said the accident occurred on Sunday when one of the vehicles was allegedly in the process of overtaking another car just outside the town.

A passenger in a Toyota Hilux and the driver of a Mercedes-Benz have been taken to the Beaufort West hospital. They managed to be extricated just before the wreckage burst into flames.

The driver of the Hilux, however, burnt to death. Mopping-up operations were still under way this morning but the N1 has been reopened.

Rudy Theron posted on social media: "Every single day we see posts of people videotaping their speedometers, doing the maximum speed their vehicle can travel.