Two die, 22 injured in cross border bus accident

By Andile Tshuma

TWO Zimbabweans died while 22 others were injured, eight of them seriously, when a Harare bound bus overturned in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, on Monday.

The bus was travelling from Durban heading to Harare with cross border traders and South African based Zimbabweans coming home for the festive season.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Mpumalanga Provincial Community safety and transport department manager Mr Moeti Mmusi said investigations into the cause of the accident were underway.

The deceased are the driver of the bus and a female passenger. Mr Mmusi however said the department could not reveal their names until their next of kin have been notified.

“I can confirm that we attended to an accident involving a bus that was travelling from Durban to Zimbabwe. The bus driver and a female passenger died on the spot.

“The bus overturned in Middleburg and it seems the driver lost control of the bus. Eight people were seriously injured and are in critical condition while 14 others had varying degrees of injuries,” said Mr Mmusi.

He called on motorists to exercise caution on the roads and avoid speeding.

Mr Mmusi said drivers must rest when they feel tired as many accidents are caused by fatigue.

Pictures of the bus, a Cream Tours coach, were circulating across various social media platforms.

Last week more than 70 Zimbabweans travelling to Harare from Cape Town lost all their belongings when a bus they were travelling in caught fire and was reduced to a shell along the N1 Highway in Johannesburg, South Africa.

On Monday, six people were killed along Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road when two vehicles collided near Stanmore, about 30 km from Gwanda. The Chronicle