Cape Town – The tragic bus accident that occurred en route from Gqeberha to Harare, Zimbabwe, claiming the lives of 42 people, has been described as “a preventable disaster” and “an act of criminal negligence” by Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba.
According to IOL, Ramathuba met with the families and relatives of the victims at Siloam Hospital in the Vhembe District, where she offered her condolences and addressed the tragedy.
She said that the incident could have been avoided, but that “lawlessness and greed” within the cross-border transport industry had led to the devastating loss of life.
A technical report released by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), revealed that the bus was found to be operating without meeting roadworthy standards, carrying passengers beyond its permitted capacity, and travelling at speeds exceeding the legal limit.
OCTOBER TRANSPORT MONTH
BREAKING NEWS
[WATCH] Minister Creecy breaking the news to members of the media following the investigation by @TrafficRTMC of the Bus Road Crush that happened earlier this week on the N1 North, Limpopo#OTMSA_2025#TransportMonth pic.twitter.com/xf0POk3VCX
— Department of Transport (@Dotransport) October 17, 2025
Creecy identified the following as the main factors that led to the fatal accident:
-
Overloading: The bus was licensed to carry 62 passengers but was transporting 91 at the time of the crash.
-
Excessive speed: It was travelling at high speeds that were unsuitable for the road and weather conditions.
-
Mechanical failure: Both the bus and trailer brakes were found to be unroadworthy.
“I have this morning interacted with the acting CEO of the Road Traffic Management Corporation, and I have asked that we to contact the bus owners of that company and we need to do an inspection of their entire fleet that is operating in our country to assess the roadworthiness of that fleet.
“I have also asked my team for legal advice as to how we deal with the potential culpable homicide,” said Creecy.
She added that since the two drivers lost their lives, the company itself needs to be held accountable, and she will proceed to take legal advice on that matter.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram
Picture: X/@TrafficRTMC
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Anda Tolibadi
