Staff Reporter.
At least people were killed when a bus they were traveling in overturned on the N1 freeway around Makhado (previously Louis Trichardt) in Limpopo province on Tuesday night, authorities said.
The bus was en route to Johannesburg from neighboring Zimbabwe when the accident happened on the N1 highway near Makhado, just before midnight, the Limpopo Provincial Department of Transport and Community Safety said in a statement Wednesday.
“All the deceased, five males and five females, are foreign nationals,” said the department.
“According to reports, the bus drove over a round-about, the last traffic circle from Makhado toward Polokwane, at high speed, lost control and overturned, killing and injuring its passengers in the process,” the statement said.
“The bus driver is reportedly new in his job, and not familiar with the surroundings,” it added.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) is investigating the cause of a crash that claimed the lives of 10 people and left three others seriously injured.
“The RTMC expresses deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who tragically lost their lives in this incident and wishes a speedy recovery to those who are currently hospitalised with injuries,” the Road Traffic Management Corporation said in a statement.
The RTMC crash investigation team is on the scene gathering information to understand the circumstances leading to the crash.
Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa expressed their condolences and message of speedy recovery to those who have been hospitalised in a statement.
They also urged motorists to be vigilant of their surroundings and exercise caution while on the road.
“Let us recall that both Minister Creecy and Deputy Minister Hlengwa emphasised during the tabling of their Budget Vote speech that the quality of our roads is an important pillar in the fight against road cashes in our country,” the statement read.
“The budget speech emphasised that, as a country, we have remained committed to the United Nations’ programme for road safety, diligently implementing its successive Decades of Action for Road Safety.”
Yet road accidents continue to occur, and there have been only slow improvements in reducing fatalities, the department said.
“South Africa has committed to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, targeting a 50% reduction in fatalities by 2030 from the 2010 baseline.”
Compiled by Lehlohonolo Lehana.