Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, [email protected]
Eight Malawian nationals died while 44 others were injured after a bus travelling from Malawi to Gauteng was involved in a horrific road accident along the N1 highway in Limpopo on Thursday evening.
The crash occurred near the Witvlag turn-off outside Louis Trichardt in the Makhado Municipality area.
Limpopo Member of Executive Committee [MEC] for Transport and Community Safety, Ms Violet Mathye described the accident as horrific.
“The MEC is saddened by this horror crash that occurred on Thursday at approximately 18h00 on the N1 road, just after the Witvlag turn-off outside Louis Trichardt in the Makhado Municipality,” said MEC spokesperson Mr Dali Tshifhiwa.
“A bus travelling from Malawi to Gauteng reportedly experienced mechanical failure and was unable to apply brakes, resulting in the vehicle veering off the road and rolling down a deep ravine.”
Mr Tshifhiwa said seven passengers were declared dead at the scene, while another later succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital.
He said 44 passengers sustained various injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
“On behalf of the people of Limpopo, I wish to extend my sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” said MEC Mathye.
She added that the Department of Transport and Community Safety would continue intensifying visible law enforcement operations along the N1 highway in a bid to reduce road carnage.
Authorities have urged motorists and transport operators to conduct thorough pre-trip vehicle inspections to ensure roadworthiness before embarking on long-distance journeys.
The N1 highway is one of Southern Africa’s busiest commercial routes, linking South Africa with countries north of the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Tanzania.
The stretch between Musina and Louis Trichardt has over the years become notorious for fatal road accidents involving cross-border buses and heavy commercial vehicles.
