Johannesburg – A minibus carrying school students collided with a truck south of Johannesburg on Monday, killing 12 pupils, police said.
It was the latest in a string of deadly crashes in a country whose modern road network is undermined by rampant speeding, reckless driving and poorly maintained vehicles.
The crash happened near the industrial city of Vanderbijlpark, about 60 kilometres (40 miles) south of Johannesburg.
Police said the driver of the minibus appeared to have lost control while attempting to overtake other vehicles.
Eleven students died at the scene and another in hospital, provincial education minister Matome Chiloane told reporters at the scene.
[HAPPENING NOW]: Gauteng Premier Panyaza @Lesufi and Education MEC @matomekopano are at the scene of a tragic private scholar transport incident in Vanderbijlpark, which has reportedly claimed the lives of 11 learners. Emergency services are on site, and further details will be… pic.twitter.com/jy9NE81som
— Gauteng Department of Education (@EducationGP1) January 19, 2026
He did not know the ages of the children involved but said they were from primary schools, where pupils are aged from six years, and also high schools.
Images on social media showed the crushed minibus on the roadside with distraught parents gathered behind the police tape. Some broke down in wails when they were allowed to see the bodies.
“It is a terrible scene,” Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said.
[WATCH] Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi pleads for the police to be allowed space to investigate the fatal crash that claimed the lives of a dozen pupils in the Vaal. pic.twitter.com/QgBBfQbYfN
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) January 19, 2026
More than 11,400 lives were lost on South African roads in 2025, according to the latest data from the transport ministry.
Many South African parents have to rely on private minibuses to get their children to school.
I stood at the accident scene on the N1 in Vanderbijlpark alongside Premier Panyaza @Lesufi , overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy. We are devastated by the loss of all the learners who were involved , young lives taken far too soon. There are no words that can ease the… pic.twitter.com/GZB3eyGSTe
— Matome Chiloane (@matomekopano) January 19, 2026
In October, 18 children were badly hurt when their minibus lost control and overturned on a highway in KwaZulu-Natal.
At least five students were killed and eight others injured in September when a school minibus ploughed into a creche in a KwaZulu-Natal township.
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Source: AFP
