Officials have found the bus was overloaded and carrying bottles of medicine that may have been in the process of being smuggled over the border.
“Our primary objective was to save lives and investigations later”.
These are the words of Limpopo premier Phophi Ramathuba confirming an investigation into a bus crash that claimed 43 lives on the N1 road between Makhado and Musina last weekend.
Officials have found the bus was overloaded and carrying bottles of medicine that may have been in the process of being smuggled over the border.
“It is puzzling that the bus was not stopped on the N1 road. The people of South Africa deserve to know how this bus managed to pass through all the tollgates up to the scene without being stopped and searched. Those who are involved in some kind of shady dealings must be brought to book in order to account for their wayward actions,” she said.
But first things first.
“What was of vital importance at the scene for us was to save lives. First, we had to rush to the scene and help remove those still alive from the crash and help to admit the injured to local hospitals. She also had to help remove the remains of those who perished because if we took too long, the bodies might begin to decompose. Lastly, we needed to give the police space to do their job.
“This includes investigating the exact course of the accident, the presence of medical bottles in the bus, and the exact owners of such medication,” she said.
Limpopo provincial police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe said Section 22A of the Medicine and Related Substances Act in South Africa decrees that it was a crime to possess certain scheduled medicines without authorisation.
Legally, someone is only permitted to possess and carry the quantity of medicine they have been prescribed by an authorised prescriber. Carrying a large quantity of medicine without exception, Hadebe said, was illegal.
“Although for now the lawful owner of the bottles of the medication is not yet identified to get the explanation regarding its origin, the police have, in the meantime, opened an inquiry for further investigation.
“Anyone, or the lawful owner of the medication, is requested to contact the nearest police at police toll-free number 08600 10111 or my SAPS app,” said the police.
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