A bus carrying 65 Malawians overturned in an accident, claiming the life of the driver and injuring seven others.
Picture: Border Management Authority
The passengers of the bus carrying undocumented foreign nationals that was involved in an accident have claimed that the driver, who died, kept falling asleep while driving.
A bus carrying undocumented Malawians who have been processed for repatriation was involved in an accident, leaving one person dead and several injured.
According to reports from Kaya News, the crash occurred four kilometres south of the Beitbridge Border Post, near Musina.
65 passengers
The Border Management Authority (BMA) said the accident occurred near Beitbridge on 30 June and included a bus transporting foreign nationals for repatriation.
Reports state that the bus was travelling from Durban to Musina, carrying 65 passengers who were en route to be processed by the relevant authorities before being facilitated through the Beitbridge border as part of the repatriation process.
In images shared online, the severely damaged bus can be seen lying on its side off the road.
Driver loses his life
Preliminary reports indicate that the driver of the bus lost his life in the accident.
Meanwhile, seven passengers sustained injuries and received medical treatment by emergency medical personnel before they were transported to the hospital.
Officials from the BMA, the Musina Local Municipality, the South African Police Service (Saps), Musina Traffic Management authorities and emergency services responded to the scene.
Cause of accident
The Acting Commissioner of the BMA, retired Major General David Chilembe, said that the cause of the accident is under investigation.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said it has sent its crash investigator to Limpopo to establish the cause of the crash.
RTMC said that transport deputy minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa is concerned about the accident and instructed the corporation to provide a detailed report about the possible factors that could have led to the tragic incident.
“Unverified information indicates that the primary cause of the crash is severe driver fatigue. Passengers claimed that the driver kept falling asleep while driving,” RTMC said.
Condolences
Chilembe said the BMA was deeply saddened by the incident.
“On behalf of the Border Management Authority, I extend our sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased driver during this difficult time,” Chilembe said.
“We also wish the injured passengers a full and speedy recovery and thank all emergency responders and law enforcement officials who acted swiftly to provide assistance at the scene.”
He added that the BMA will continue to support the ongoing response to the accident and facilitate the safe continuation of the repatriation process.
Another accident involving foreign nationals
Meanwhile, another accident happened on Wednesday morning on the N1 road, approximately 19 kilometres from Hanover, Northern Cape, towards Colesberg.
The Saps said that at about 8:40am, a 15-seater minibus taxi travelling from Cape Town to Mozambique was involved in a motor vehicle accident.
The trailer attached to the taxi transporting foreign nationals reportedly experienced a mechanical failure, resulting in the vehicle overturning.
A total of passengers were travelling in the vehicle, consisting of 14 adults and six children between the ages of five and seven years old.
“Three passengers sustained minor injuries and were attended to by Emergency Medical Services (EMS). No fatalities have been reported at this stage,” the police said.
Some had travel documents, some didn’t
Saps added that upon assessment, it was established that some passengers had travel documents, while others didn’t have the required documentation.
Law enforcement referred the matter to the relevant immigration authorities for further processing. The police also notified social services, and they are attending to the affected children.
