Speeding and faulty brakes have been cited as some of the major contributing factors that led to the horrific bus accident that killed 43 people on the N1 North in Limpopo on Sunday.
This is according to a preliminary report which was released by the Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy.
The report, which was conducted by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) revealed that the driver of the bus drove at a speed too high for the conditions down the mountain pass.
“During the mechanical investigation, it was also established that the bus and trailer only had five out of the ten brakes in operational condition and that one brake on the bus had no braking ability. It was established that out of five brakes on the bus one brake was not in an operational condition. None of the four brakes on the trailer had been in any operational condition and the suspension had also been poorly repaired,” said Creecy while addressing the media in Mahikeng.
The bus had departed from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape en route to Harare, Zimbabwe, carrying passengers from Zimbabwe, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Creecy said the report concluded that the bus and trailer only had half of its braking capacity as the other half had not been operational for a long time.
The preliminary report also found that the bus was overloaded at the time of the crash, as it was carrying 91 passengers and only certified to carry 62.
“There were 11 children between the ages of three to five years old and if Regulation 231 of the National Road Traffic Regulation 2000 is applied then two children between the ages of three to six years old shall be counted as one person.
“This implies that at the time, the vehicle was overloaded by 23
passengers,” added the report.
The report confirmed that 43 passengers passed away, 34 sustained serious injuries and six sustained slight injuries.
“Eight occupants were recorded at the crash scene by first responders and refused any form of medical treatment. They had subsequently left the crash scene and none of their details were recorded,” remarked Creecy.
The report ruled out bad weather conditions and road surface as the cause of the accident as there was clear visibility, and the road surface along the N1 before and after the crash scene was noted as being in good condition.
The preliminary report recommended that law enforcement operations be considered to examine and evaluate the
roadworthiness of vehicles that enter the country’s roads, as the bus is a foreign registered vehicle.
Meanwhile, Creecy has directed the RTMC investigate the bus company’s responsibility in ensuring the roadworthiness of the
bus and to further consider a culpable homicide complaint against the bus company in terms of the duties of the operator.
Furthermore, the minister has requested the maintenance schedule and service records of this specific bus and to work with the Anti-Corruption Unit to establish which road-testing centre issued a
roadworthy certificate for the bus and establish if there are any DNC Coach Depots in South Africa to look at their fleet roadworthy status.
