Educators and parents of the learners who were involved in a bus accident are still counting their lucky stars after they escaped with minor injuries.

The accident, which led to the closure of the R40 between White River and Hazyview for more than four hours, happened last Friday.

The bus belonging to Mpumalanga’s largest public passenger transport company, Buscor, was transporting 124 schoolchildren on an official school trip.

The spokesperson for the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Moeti Mmusi, said, “There are currently still no fatalities reported and we pray that the situation stays the same because we honestly can’t afford to lose lives especially of young children,” said Mmusi.

According to preliminary report, the bus lost control and swerved into a ditch.

“From the report we received, the driver lost control of the bus after he had tried to avoid something on the road, causing an accident. It is unclear if it was a car or an object that he had swerved to avoid,” added Mmusi.
Buscor’s executive director Dr Norah Fakude-Nkuna said they will investigate the cause of the accident since their buses are fitted with surveillance cameras.

She also wished the learners a speedy recovery.