The Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport said overloaded and unroadworthy vehicles and complete disregard of Covid-19 regulations define some of the unpalatable situations law enforcement authorities have to deal with on a daily basis.

Bongani Dhlamini, the department’s spokesperson, said Wednesday was no different as an overloaded bus transporting Malawi nationals heading to Gauteng miraculously navigated its way from the Lebombo Border Post to Mbombela without brakes.

“The ‘accident in transit’ landed itself in the hands of transport inspectors who were conducting their normal operations outside the City of Mbombela. As if this was not enough, the bus broke down as it was pulled over for inspection by the law enforcement officers. The only thing the passengers were worried about, as one of them described it, was ‘welding the shaft’ and getting back on the road,” he said.

“The bus operator was charged with two counts of contravening the National Land Transport Act no. 5 of 2009. This included conveying passengers without an operating license as well as overloading. The charges were accompanied by fines of R2 500 and R2 000 respectively. The bus has since been impounded.”

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Dhlamini said since similar incidents are a daily occurrence, the department urges commuters to avoid gambling with their lives. He added that public transport operators are warned against any form of negligence and recklessness that may land them behind bars.

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