Spate of morning crashes claims 22 lives in 24 hours

Twenty-two people died in three accidents in two Gauteng municipalities in two days, four of the deceased being pupils dying on their way to school.

All the accidents happened in the morning, and two of them, which claimed 20 lives, occurred in Ekurhuleni while the other one, where two people died, happened in Soweto.

All three crashes involved municipal vehicles.

In the latest accident on Tuesday, a City of Ekurhuleni municipal bus ferrying people to work lost control and landed on the side of the R21 in Kempton Park. Twelve died at the scene, while four more died in hospitals. By 6pm on Tuesday, the death toll from the bus accident remained at 16, while 41 other passengers and the driver, were still in hospitals.

The Soweto crash that happened on Monday morning involved a Johannesburg metro police vehicle that smashed into two people and killed them .

The third crash happened on the N12 in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, on Monday morning when an Isuzu Hilux bakkie rammed into a car transporting pupils to schools. Four children died at the scene and four others were injured.

Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini confirmed to Sowetan that the bakkie belongs to the municipality and that the driver was a metro police officer going to work in Kempton Park.

Minister of transport Barbara Creecy said she was concerned about the spate of recent road crashes involving passenger busses where lives were lost.

“This is the third serious bus accident in the past week. Accordingly, I have instructed the road traffic management corporation (RTMC) to convene a meeting with all bus operators within the next week to discuss ways to enhance passenger safety in the bus industry,” she said.

On Tuesday morning, a shivering Philasande Phakade stood on the side of the road, looking at the bodies of his fellow commuters that were covered in silver foil, unable to believe that he survived the fatal crash.

The 19-year-old teenager said he only got a job three weeks ago, the length of time that he had also been using the bus. He said his friend was supposed to give him a lift to work but did not show up and he took the bus like he usually does.

According to Phakade, they often refer to the bus driver as the “speeding machine” because he liked speeding. On the day of the incident, he said the driver had been speeding and changing lanes.

“The driver almost hit a small car trying to swerve to the left and that's when it (the bus) lost control, hitting the metal barriers and ended up facing the other direction.

“The driver was trying to stop but the bus was still going at a high speed and leaning to the right. We were screaming and other people were being thrown out of the window. The bus then landed on them, crushing them.”

At the scene lunchboxes, PPE boots, clothes bags and backpacks were scattered around.

Kgotla Mashile, 38, who also escaped unscathed, said he had been using the bus for two years and that they called the driver “speedster”.

On the day of the accident, Mashile said, the driver was speeding as usual and while they were concerned and started speaking among themselves, no one spoke up.

However, the bus lost control, people were screaming and colliding with the benches and others were thrown out of the bus. Mashile said he escaped by jumping out of the window. “In the manner that the driver used to speed, this accident was bound to happen. I am just glad I survived,” the Katlehong man said.

Asked about allegations that the driver was speeding, Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza said: “In terms of speeding we are not sure. We don't know what may have caused the accident but this road has cameras and part of the investigation will look through the footage to find out what led to the death of so many people.”

Ekurhuleni MMC for roads and transport planning Andile Mngwevu said the bus had passed the road worthiness test in February. “We can confirm that the bus was in a good state and we have a certification that it was in good condition,” he said.

The Motor Industry Staff Association's Martlé Keyte said they are concerned about the increased number of bus crashes and people losing their lives. “Our roads should not claim lives like this, drivers should always be cautious, with bus drivers carrying large numbers of people,” said Keyter.

“An RTMC study reported that over five years, buses were involved in 323 fatal crashes in SA. As many as 487 people having died in these crashes.  The highest number of bus accidents from fatalities (a total of 76 fatal crashes) in Gauteng.

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