Beloved South African chef and TV personality Mynie Steffens has tragically died in a helicopter crash.
Multiple local outlets report 43-year-old star was killed when the helicopter she was piloting went down on a citrus farm near Patensie in the Eastern Cape on Monday.
Steffens — who was also a licensed pilot, cookbook author, and co-host of a cooking show — had reportedly been spraying pesticides over the farm’s orange crops shortly before 8 a.m. when the aircraft suddenly crashed.
According to reports, the helicopter made contact with power lines moments before impact.
‘Information that is at our disposal indicates that the pilot was conducting a pest control operation flight when the helicopter struck power lines and crashed,’ the AIID (Accidents and Incidents Investigations Division) said in a statement obtained by the George Herald.
‘The helicopter itself was substantially damaged due to impact force.’
Beloved South African chef and TV personality Mynie Steffens has tragically died in a helicopter crash
Multiple local outlets report 43-year-old star was killed when the helicopter she was piloting went down on a citrus farm near Patensie in the Eastern Cape on Monday
Images published by the outlet show the wreckage resting in a grassy area of the farm, with large sections of the fuselage torn away.
Authorities have since launched an investigation into the fatal crash.
The South African Police Service has not yet issued a comment.
Steffens co-hosted the VIA TV lifestyle cooking series Speel met Vuur and later released a cookbook under the same title.
She reportedly created the show with her longtime friend and fellow host, Aldi Van der Walt, after the two reconnected 16 years after high school.
On the show, the pair traveled across South Africa to prepare creative takes on traditional dishes.
Speaking to IOL in the hours following the crash, Van der Walt described the sudden loss of her childhood friend as a ‘massive shock’ and a ‘tragic loss.’
She remembered Steffens as someone who embraced every moment, saying she lived life ‘to the full.’
Steffens — who was also a licensed pilot, cookbook author, and co-host of a cooking show — had reportedly been spraying pesticides over the farm’s orange crops shortly before 8 a.m. when the aircraft suddenly crashed
‘She was always full of ideas that had transformed into successful endeavours, and then executing that with success, winning over people as she went along,’ Van der Walt said of her late friend and co-host.
‘She could make time for people from every walk of life, and that was her priority.’
A heartfelt tribute to Steffens was shared by the channel in a statement on its Facebook page.
‘Rest in peace, Mynie Steffens. You were adventurous until the end. With #SpeelMetVuur you showed us all how to approach life with curiosity and bravery. Sleep well,’ the message read in Afrikaans, translated roughly into English.
