A bus returning to Mpumalanga after the ANC’s election manifesto launch at the Moses Mabhida Stadium was involved in a horror crash this morning.

Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the bus overturned on the R33 between Vryheid and Paulpietersburg. Eight people have been confirmed dead while several others were injured.

Earlier this morning, the ANC said in a statement that Nomagugu Simelane, the deputy chairperson of KwaZulu-Natal and the ANC provincial leadership of both Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, were on their way to the accident scene and hospitals where they will assess the situation.

This is the second fatal bus accident involving ANC members this year. Six ANC members were killed in an accident when they were travelling to celebrate the party’s 112th birthday in Mbombela in January.

The African National Congress (ANC) has received with profound shock the news of the untimely passing of our members from Mpumalanga Province. Tragically, our comrades were involved in a bus accident in Dumbe, KwaZulu-Natal, in the early hours of the morning while returning from… pic.twitter.com/qVcSfYK1jg

— African National Congress (@MYANC) February 25, 2024

Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who attended a church service at the St Paul Anglican Church in Durban, conveyed his condolences to the families, friends, and comrades of the ANC supporters involved the accident.