By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy says a preliminary report on the Limpopo bus accident found that the bus was, unroadworthy, overloaded and speeding.
The accident occurred Sunday afternoon (12 October) at the notorious hairpin bend near the Ingwe Hotel, after the bus veered off a mountainous section of the N1 and plunged down an embankment.
The bus claimed 43 lives, among the fatalities were seven children, 17 adult males and 18 adult females. 38 people were injured, including six in a critical state, 31 seriously injured, and 7 slightly injured.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) investigation found that the vehicle was operating significantly over capacity and had severely compromised braking systems.
The RTMC’s mechanical investigation exposed a dangerous pattern of disrepair affecting core safety systems.
According to the official report, the bus and trailer were operating with dramatically reduced braking capacity.
The RTMC stated that “the bus and trailer only had five out of 10 brakes in operational condition and that one brake on the bus had no braking ability.”
The investigation highlighted the severity of the trailer’s condition, establishing that “none of the four brakes on the trailer had been in any operational condition, and the suspension had also been poorly repaired.”
This meant the vehicle was running at half its intended braking capacity. The RTMC concluded that “the bus and trailer were not in a roadworthy condition by virtue of the defective braking system and the poorly repaired suspension of the trailer.”
Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy says, “We need to contact the bus owners of that company to do an inspection on the entire fleet to assess the roadworthiness.”
“What upset me when I arrived there on Monday was the huge sign that said high accident zone.”
Creecy said she has directed the RTMC to investigate the bus company’s responsibility in ensuring the bus’s roadworthiness and to consider a culpable homicide complaint against it.
“Request the maintenance schedule and service records of this specific bus, and to work with the Anti-Corruption Unit to establish which road-testing centre issued a roadworthy certificate for the bus and establish if there are any DNC coach depots in SA to look at their fleet roadworthy status, and to liaise with provincial law enforcement authorities to ensure a compulsory roadworthy inspection specifically focusing on the DNC coach fleet coming through the SA border post.”
The RTMC confirmed that “the weather conditions at the time of the road crash were daylight and clear with good visibility and are not considered a cause and/or contributory factor to this road crash.”
Creecy has unveiled an ambitious plan to cut road accident fatalities by 45% by 2029, a bold step toward meeting the United Nations’ global target of halving road deaths.