R21 Bus Crash Death Toll Rises to 16
The death toll from Tuesday’s devastating bus crash near O.R. Tambo International Airport has risen to 16, officials confirmed today.
Initially, 12 passengers were declared dead at the scene, with four additional fatalities occurring in hospital.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the tragic incident on the R21 highway.
“The President offers his condolences to the bereaved families and wishes survivors of the incident a speedy and full recovery,” the Presidency said in a statement.
Cause of the Crash Revealed
According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the crash involved a passenger bus owned by the City of Ekurhuleni and a light motor vehicle (LMV). The bus was carrying passengers from Katlehong to Pomona.
RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane revealed that preliminary reports suggest both vehicles were travelling in the third lane of the R21 when the accident occurred.
“It is alleged that the LMV suddenly applied brakes after missing the off-ramp exit lane. In an attempt to avoid a collision, the bus driver also braked and swerved, resulting in the bus losing control, rotating clockwise, overturning, and coming to a rest in the off-ramp lane, facing south,” Zwane explained.
The injured were transported to O.R. Tambo, Tembisa, and Edenvale hospitals where they continue to receive treatment.
President Calls for Reflection on Driver Behavior
In his statement, President Ramaphosa emphasized the need for national reflection on road safety and driver behavior.
“Incidents such as these impact on people’s ability to earn a living; they impact on our health and emergency services; they drive up insurance and result in expensive vehicle repairs, and they affect businesses who lose personnel in this process,” said the President.
“As we reflect on the lives that have been lost, we must also reflect on the responsibility and conduct of everyone who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle, big and small, in our country.”
The President further added, “When we ask how safe our roads are, we actually need to ask how safe we are as drivers and pedestrians. The biggest factor in crashes is human error, not law enforcement or road conditions.”
“Drivers must ensure vehicles are roadworthy and must obey the rules of the road. They are there to keep us safe. Where drivers ignore these rules, they stand a chance of losing their lives or being critically injured. And where they survive, they will end up in our courts and correctional centres,” the President warned.
Transport Ministry Calls for Heightened Caution
Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and her Deputy Mkhuleko Hlengwa have joined the President in expressing their condolences to the families of the victims.
The Minister and Deputy Minister expressed deep concern over the recent spate of road crashes involving passenger buses where lives were lost, calling for “heightened caution and vigilance from all motorists and road users to ensure they stay safe on the roads at all times.”
President Ramaphosa also acknowledged another recent bus tragedy, stating that his thoughts were with the families of at least nine bus passengers who lost their lives in an incident in KwaZulu-Natal this past weekend, in which 39 people were also injured.
“While the causes of these recent incidents are still under investigation, we are reminded that tragedies such as these leave more than physical scars, as they cause trauma that affects family relationships and the lives of survivors,” he said.
The KwaZulu-Natal accident occurred on Sunday afternoon when a bus transporting members of the Twelve Apostles Church in Trinity from Richards Bay to Shakaskraal, near KwaDukuza, experienced a tyre burst.
This is a developing story. Updates will follow as more information becomes available.