Metro sets up disaster operations centre after bus accident
Survivors of the accident claim the bus drivers were switching positions while the bus was in motion
THE executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Clr Mondli Gungubele, on Sunday visited the accident scene in the Free State where 11 ANC supporters were killed and 59 injured.
Gungubele passed his condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the survivors a speedy recovery.
The bus was travelling from Port Elizabeth to Ekurhuleni when it overturned on the N1 highway between Ventersburg and Winsburg. Most passengers were from Katlehong and were returning home after the launch of the ANC manifesto.
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Survivors of the accident claim the bus drivers were switching positions while the bus was in motion when the accident occurred.
The Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters, passed her condolences to the families, friends and the entire African National Congress family, in particular the ANC Ekurhuleni region, Grace Flathela Zone, for the loss of volunteers involved in the bus carnage.
Minister Peters wished those admitted to hospital a speedy recovery, and enjoined the RTMC to immediately commence with the investigations into the cause of the carnage and for the Road Accident Fund to give the families of the deceased and the injured the necessary support and comfort.
Gungubele expressed shock at the bus accident. “There is no way to describe how I feel right now. These comrades were with us yesterday as we launched our manifesto and today they are no more. May their souls rest in peace,” Gungubele said.
“The loss of one life is a disaster enough. This is a devastation.”
He announced he had sent a team of senior emergency and disaster officials, led by the city’s COO, to Ventersburg in the Free State to determine if there was a role the city could play in the accident.
“Now we have a responsibility to ensure that everyone gets home, hence we have set up a disaster joint operation centre to ensure that as and when we are called into action we are ready,” he added.
Families of bus victims now have a central place to receive information concerning their loved ones. The City of Ekurhuleni has established a Joint Operation Centre (JOC) to coordinate information regarding the accident. The JOC is based at Palm Ridge Fire Station which is closer to Vosloorus and Katlehong where the passengers come from.
Family members can visit the JOC or phone on 011 999 3796 to check the list of people that were on the bus.
“The JOC stands ready to provide up to date information on the status of all passengers involved in the fatal accident, including those that are still hospitalised in the Free State, and the patients that were transferred to our local hospitals.
“We are happy that a bus carrying 27 patients with minor injuries arrived just after midnight. These patients were allowed to go home after observation,” Member of the Mayoral Committee on Community Safety, Clr Vivian Chauke said.
The City has chaplains and counsellors on standby to assist family members through this trauma.
