Ramaphosa ‘saddened’ by R21 bus crash deaths

Sixteen people died when the bus they were travelling in overturned near the OR Tambo International Airport.

The president’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa offers his condolences to the bereaved families and wishes survivors of the incident a speedy and full recovery.

The president said: “While the causes of these recent incidents are still under investigation, we are reminded that tragedies such as these leave more than physical scars, as they cause trauma that affects family relationships and the lives of survivors.

READ: Death toll from R21 bus crash rises to 16

“Incidents such as these impact people’s ability to earn a living; they impact in our health and emergency services; they drive up insurance and result in expensive vehicle repairs, and they affect business who lose personnel in this process.

“As we reflect on the lives that have been lost, we must also reflect on the responsibility and conduct of everyone who gets in behind the wheel of a vehicle, big and small, in our country.”

Ramapjosa called on drivers to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy and that they must obey the rules of the road.

“Where drivers ignore these rules, they stand a chance of losing their lives or being critically injured. And where they survive, they will end up in our courts and correctional centres,” said Magwenya. 

Magenya President Ramaphosa’s thoughts are also with the families of at least nine bus passengers who lost their lives in an incident in KwaZulu-Natal this past weekend.

SURVIVOR: DRIVER WAS SPEEDING

Philasande Phakathi said he was the second person to exit the bus after it landed on its side on the freeway.

He alleges that the driver was driving at high speed when he lost control of the vehicle and hit the embankment, causing the bus to careen and face the opposite direction before falling.

Phakathi also claimed that the 61-seater bus was overloaded with more than 70 passengers on board.

The Road Traffic Management Cooperation (RTMC) dispatched an investigator to the scene.

The cause of the accident has not been determined.

TRANSPORT MINISTRY ‘DEEPLY CONCERNED’

At the same time, Transport Minister Barbra Creecy, and her deputy Mkhuleko Hlengwa, have expressed concern over the spate of recent road crashes involving passenger busses.

Creecy said it’s alarming that this was the third serious bus accident in less than a week.

Last Wednesday, ten people were killed when a City to City bus, which was transporting 33 passengers, collided with a heavy-duty vehicle on the N6.

According to Free State Emergency Management Services (EMS), five fatalities were initially confirmed, and an additional five deaths were reported after extrication efforts as some passengers were trapped in the wreckage.

In Limpopo, a state-owned Great North Transport bus carrying 90 passengers was involved in the accident, which occurred when the driver lost control, causing the bus to overturn near a mall in the Monsterlus area in Makhuduthamaga Municipality, Sekhukhune District.

Creecy and Hlengwa have extended their sympathies and condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in Tuesday’s crash while wishing the injured speedy recovery to good health.

The minister instructed the RTMC to convene a meeting with all bus operators within the next week to discuss ways to enhance passenger safety in the bus industry.

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