The bus crash that claimed 43 lives in Limpopo has been found to have been caused by serious mechanical faults and overloading.
According to a preliminary report presented to transport minister Barbara Creecy and deputy minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the DNC Coach bus involved in the October 12 crash on the N1 North was unroadworthy and carrying far more passengers than allowed.
The bus had travelled from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape to Harare, Zimbabwe, with passengers from Malawi, Congo, and Zimbabwe on board.
Findings from the report revealed that the driver was travelling at an unsafe speed for the mountain pass. Mechanical investigations showed that only four of the bus’s five brakes were functional, while none of the four brakes on the trailer worked. The suspension system was also found to have been poorly repaired.
The bus, designed to carry 62 passengers, had 91 occupants at the time of the accident.
Investigators confirmed that weather conditions were clear and visibility was good, while the road surface and markings on the N1 were in proper condition and not a contributing factor to the crash.
The RTMC report recommended stricter law enforcement to assess the roadworthiness of foreign-registered vehicles entering South Africa. It also urged national and provincial traffic police to monitor heavy vehicles that ignore downhill speed warnings, as evidence showed the bus and trailer were travelling too fast to safely navigate the bend.
Vehicle load checks were also recommended, as both the bus and trailer were overloaded at the time of the crash.
A final technical reconstruction report is still in progress. Authorities are also investigating how the vehicle passed through weigh bridges undetected despite being overloaded.
Minister Creecy has instructed the RTMC to investigate the bus company’s responsibility for the vehicle’s condition and to consider a culpable homicide charge against it. The RTMC will also work with the anti-corruption unit to identify the testing centre that issued the roadworthy certificate.
Additionally, Creecy directed the RTMC to collaborate with provincial law enforcement to ensure compulsory inspections of the DNC Coach fleet entering through South African border posts.
