Fatal bus crashes spike in SA as operators flout transport regulations

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has taken a hard line after a 62-seater bus operated by DNC Coaches crashed, killing 43 people aboard and injuring another 40. The bus, carrying 91 passengers from Gqeberha to Zimbabwe and Malawi, veered off the road and plunged down an embankment near Makhado, Limpopo, on 12 October.

On Friday, Creecy released a preliminary report from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), which revealed that the bus driver drove at excessive speeds, one of the bus’s five brakes was not operational at the time of the crash, and none of the four brakes on the trailer it was towing was working.

The investigation also revealed that the trailer’s suspension was in poor condition.

“Therefore, the bus and trailer were not in a roadworthy condition by virtue of the defective braking system and the poorly repaired suspension of the trailer,” said Collen Msibi, the Department of Transport’s national spokesperson.

Despite this, the vehicle was issued a roadworthy certificate, allowing it to operate on South African roads. Creecy wants those responsible to be investigated.

She instructed the RTMC to:

• Investigate the bus company’s responsibility for the bus’s roadworthiness and consider a culpable homicide charge against it;
• Request the maintenance schedule and service records for the bus;
• Work with the Anti-Corruption Unit to identify the road-testing centre that issued the roadworthy certificate;
• Investigate the fleet roadworthy status of DNC Coaches in  South Africa; and
• Liaise with provincial law enforcement to ensure compulsory roadworthy inspections, focusing on DNC Coaches coming through South African border posts.

In the wake of the horrific crash, the Zimbabwean government said it was helping victims with medical bills, repatriation costs, accommodation for visiting relatives and counselling.

On 17 October, the Zimbabwean consulate in South Africa reported that 33 bodies of Zimbabwean nationals had been identified — 12 men, 16 women and five minors.

Survivors

On Sunday, 14 Zimbabwean survivors were still in hospital.

Justina Botomani, the first secretary for social services at the Malawi High Commission in SA, said eight Malawians died — one woman, one male baby and six men. On Sunday, seven survivors were in hospital, while eight were discharged and repatriated to Malawi on Saturday, 18 October. The nationalities of the other two victims have not yet been released.

“When we arrived in Louis Trichardt, we collected all the survivors,” said Botomani. “A church organisation offered accommodation, and the government provided food, groceries and some money for meals as they travelled to Malawi. We also helped with travel documents since many had lost theirs in the crash.”

At Elim Hospital outside Louis Trichardt, survivor Modest Toendepi (26) said she was travelling to Gokwe, a town in rural Zimbabwe.

“I don’t really know what happened [when the bus crashed] because I was attending to my 18-month-old baby. When I realised we were in an accident, I just focused on saving my child,” she said.

Toendepi said she was feeling better but still had pain from injuries to her face, arms and back. Her luggage was missing.

Another survivor, Dudzai Chitemamuswe (37), who was the assistant driver, was unable to speak. He answered questions by typing on his phone. “I am able to walk but struggle to eat,” he said. He sustained injuries to his face, arms and legs.

Cynthia Razawu, a relative of one of the deceased, said she spent three days searching for her loved one at the Siloam, Louis Trichardt Memorial and Elim hospitals. She finally identified the body from photos at Siloam. “We thank the Zimbabwean government for the help,” she said.

DNC Coaches’ supervisor, Oliver Govha, said the company was assisting survivors and their families. “We are providing food and toiletries to the survivors and transport for relatives visiting them. Those discharged will be taken to their home countries,” he said.

Govha added that the company was still investigating the cause of the accident and was working closely with the Malawian and Zimbabwean consulates.

Worrying trends

The Makhado crash was not the first time a bus accident of this severity occurred in South Africa.

On 28 March 2024, 45 people died when the bus they were travelling in careened off the Mmamatlakala bridge in Limpopo and plummeted 100m into a ravine. The only survivor of the crash was an eight-year-old.

Read more: Botswana pilgrims’ families wait in agony after Limpopo bus tragedy that killed 45

Lucky Molaudzi, the general manager of the Road Safety Partnership South Africa (RSP-SA), said the organisation had observed an increase in bus crashes in South Africa in recent years. A report by the RTMC revealed that the number of major bus crash investigations undertaken by the Major Crash Investigation Unit almost doubled between 2023 and 2024.

“The same RTMC report shows that 2024 recorded the highest number of fatalities in bus crashes over a five-year span (2018–2024),” said Molaudzi. “In total, 580 fatalities were recorded in 62 investigated bus crashes over five years, with 146 of those in 2024 alone,” he said.

“While some years show fewer crashes (eg, during Covid‐19 travel restrictions), the severity — measured in fatalities per crash — has trended upward.”

Molaudzi said that while there was a regulatory framework for bus operators, enforcement remained weak. Implementation and oversight of the National Land Transport Act and National Road Traffic Act, which set clear permit and safety standards for operators, were “inconsistent across provinces”.

“Although formal bus companies generally comply, informal and contracted operators (eg, scholar and regional transport services) are more prone to overloading and operating beyond permitted routes due to weak monitoring,” said Molaudzi.

“The bodies responsible for issuing and monitoring public transport operating licences often face staffing and resource constraints, resulting in infrequent inspections and delayed enforcement.”

Molaudzi highlighted the lack of coordination between licensing authorities and vehicle testing stations, as well as incidences of bribery or irregular approvals in the issuing of operating licences, as factors that undermined the effectiveness of the regulatory system.

“Accountability mechanisms typically respond after major crashes rather than proactively identifying unsafe operators. Suspension or revocation of permits often occurs only post-incident,” he added.

According to the RSP-SA, key factors behind bus crashes include:

• Driver fatigue and human error;
• Speeding and risky overtaking;
• Vehicle unroadworthiness;
• Driver training and licensing gaps;
• Weather and environmental conditions; and
• Passenger safety neglect.

Road quality was also a significant contributing factor, particularly on long-distance and rural routes, said Molaudzi.

“Poor road surfaces, potholes, inadequate signage, faded markings and lack of guardrails increase accident risk and crash severity,” he noted.

“Hotspot” areas identified by the RSP-SA include:

• The N1 corridor between Limpopo and the Free State, which has seen frequent long-distance bus crashes;
• The R71 between Polokwane and Tzaneen, marked by winding terrain, poor lighting and a heavy traffic mix;
• The N3 between Johannesburg and Durban, which has steep gradients and “heavy weather exposure”;
• The R61 in the Eastern Cape, which has narrow, poorly maintained sections with sharp bends; and
• The N2 between KZN and the Eastern Cape, which has high traffic volumes, limited shoulders and poor maintenance in some stretches.

Molaudzi said the highest number of fatal bus crashes occurred during Easter and the festive season.

“Increased passenger demand leads to overcrowding, fatigue and rushed trip schedules. Many long-distance buses travel overnight or across provinces with limited driver rest,” he explained.

School reopening periods, public holidays and the rainy season are also high-risk times.

“RTMC crash data (2019–2024) confirm these peaks, with over 60% of fatal bus crashes recorded between December and April annually,” said Molaudzi.

Regulatory environment 

Permits for South African bus companies running cross-border operations are issued by the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (C-BRTA).

Among the requirements to obtain a permit are that the bus has a valid vehicle licence and roadworthy certificate; the vehicle’s driver must have a valid driving licence; the operator must have liability insurance for all passengers; and the operator must have a list detailing the names, surnames, passport numbers and a next-of-kin’s contact number for each passenger.

There are about 45 South African cross-border bus operators with permits issued by the C-BRTA, and the agency issued 1,456 permits to bus operators during the 2024/2025 financial year, said the agency’s spokesperson, Kago Ramoroka.

Ramoroka said the C-BRTA was not aware of any bus companies operating without permits. In the case of the recent crash in Limpopo, he noted that the bus was registered in Zimbabwe, meaning the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development in Zimbabwe was responsible for issuing its cross-border permit.

The agency’s road transport inspectors are deployed at strategic points to monitor compliance with the Cross-Border Road Transport Act. However, it faces challenges that include limited law enforcement capacity to conduct inspections at all major transport corridors on a 24-hour basis.

“In order to enhance its work, the agency regularly conducts joint law enforcement operations with other law enforcement authorities around the country to combine resources to ensure compliance along the corridors,” said Ramoroka.

Some buses flouted permit requirements or safety standards by using alternative routes where there was no deployment of law enforcement officials, he said.

“In most cases, when they approach the … [inspection checkpoints], they … ensure that they are compliant. After passing the inspection point, they load more passengers from the filling stations along the corridor and continue with their journey,” said Ramoroka on the issue of overloaded buses.

Speeding, overloaded vehicles and driver fatigue were among the factors contributing to fatal crashes of long-distance buses, said Ramoroka.

“The agency is at an advanced stage of developing the Operator Compliance Accreditation System (Ocas), which is a risk-based system that will be used to implement quality regulation through certification and accreditation of cross-border road transport operators,” said Ramoroka.

“Ocas is designed for operators in the cross-border road transport industry, and it aims to ensure that [they] comply with all necessary regulations and standards, thereby facilitating smoother and more efficient trade flows. The objective is to improve regulatory efficiency, road safety, transport quality and transport system efficiency.”

The agency regularly engages with communities in border towns to promote road safety; visits bus and taxi ranks to conduct road safety awareness campaigns; and conducts driver training sessions on compliance with cross-border road transport regulations.

The C-BRTA has advocated for the intensification of joint law enforcement campaigns between South Africa and neighbouring countries. It noted that while these currently took place during “peak periods”, there was a need to increase their frequency and “lobby all member states to participate”.

Reducing fatal crashes

While the investigation of the Limpopo crash is in the interim stages, with a full technical report due to be released in 21 weeks, the Department of Transport has recommended the following:

• Deploying law enforcement operations to examine the roadworthiness of all foreign-registered vehicles entering South Africa;
• The RTMC’s national traffic police should focus on heavy vehicles that fail to reduce speed on downhills and ignore warning signs; and
• Deploying law enforcement operations to examine and evaluate vehicle loads.

The RSP-SA called for increased visibility of traffic law enforcement, especially along high-risk long-distance bus routes. Molaudzi said authorities needed to ensure stricter compliance with operating permits, vehicle roadworthiness and driver fitness requirements.

He said there was a need to “prioritise the maintenance and upgrading of high-risk corridors with poor lighting, potholes or inadequate signage”, and to introduce safe rest stops for long-distance operators.

Passenger education was a key step in tackling poor bus safety, said Maolaudzi, as strengthening road safety education would empower community members to demand safer transport standards.

He advocated for enhanced data-sharing among RTMC, the South African Police Service, the Department of Transport and private operators to identify crash hotspots and trends. This data could drive targeted interventions and be used to measure progress towards reducing bus crash incidents. DM

Reflection: Fear and panic on a cross-border bus journey

Joseph Chirume is a Zimbabwean journalist who has travelled on long-haul buses several times. He recalls his last journey, which began on 7 September 2025, when he boarded a Webber Bus Company vehicle in Gqeberha bound for Zimbabwe.

The station buzzed with excitement as friends and relatives bid farewell, offering prayers for a safe journey. We departed Gqeberha at noon, hopeful and in good spirits.

That optimism evaporated when we reached East London at around 5pm. Despite the trailer already being full when we left Gqeberha, the crew continued loading luggage. They opened the trailer and rearranged items to accommodate passengers boarding in Port Alfred and East London — a process that dragged on for more than five hours.

Passengers grew frustrated and uncomfortable. When we politely sought explanations, the three drivers responded with hostility, telling angry passengers to leave the bus if they wanted a better alternative — no refunds would be issued. One driver shouted that passengers were not invited to ride the bus and should instead buy private vehicles or fly to avoid disputes with the crew.

The situation worsened when the crew began filling the aisle with luggage, making it nearly impassable. Some parcels were stowed under seats, forcing passengers to step on bags to reach their spots. A double allocation of tickets compounded the chaos: East London passengers with valid tickets found no vacant seats and were forced to sit on the luggage blocking the aisle.

Many passengers wanted to report the overloading to traffic police, only to discover that no officers were patrolling the N6 road at night — a problem we had noticed on previous trips. Traffic cops reappeared near Bloemfontein, but their presence offered little reassurance. They never flagged the bus to stop. Only in Gauteng and Limpopo did officers briefly stop the bus, but they neither inspected it nor checked how passengers were seated; the driver simply spoke to them outside before continuing.

We were shocked that officials at weighbridges along the route — from Eastern Cape to the Beitbridge border — did not stop the visibly overloaded bus.

Fear escalated as the driver occasionally oversped. Shortly after Polokwane, we experienced three moments of panic when the crew disembarked to investigate a strong odour filling the bus. Passengers speculated it was either faulty brakes or worn tyres. The crew never explained the source or whether a mechanic would inspect the bus. It was “business as usual”.

We finally reached the South African side of the Beitbridge border post around 12:30 pm on 8 September, having covered over 1,600 kilometres in 24 hours with only four brief stops. Passengers disembarked exhausted and angry; some, particularly those with hypertension, had swollen legs from being unable to stretch due to the luggage blocking the aisles.

Our journey was far from over: we still faced another 600 kilometres to reach Harare. DM