Seven people died and several others were seriously injured in a minibus taxi crash on Comaro Road in Bassonia, south of Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) reported the accident occurred around 7:40 a.m. and involved a white Toyota Quantum minibus taxi and a grey Ford Ranger bakkie. Preliminary investigations indicate that the taxi’s brakes failed while travelling downhill, causing the driver to lose control, collide with a streetlight pole, and crash into a tree.
Superintendent Xolani Fihla confirmed that the victims included five women and two men aged between 30 and 45. Debris from the crash also struck the Ford Ranger, but its driver was unharmed.
Seven other passengers and the taxi driver were rushed to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto for emergency medical care.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has opened a culpable homicide case to investigate the circumstances of the crash. Authorities have urged motorists to exercise extreme caution, especially on steep and high-traffic routes like Comaro Road.
