Three people were killed and more than 70 injured early on Monday when an overloaded bus overturned on the N1 highway in the Free State, marking the province’s second major fatal accident since the start of the festive season.
The accident occurred at approximately 1.50am, about 20km from Edenburg towards Bloemfontein. According to Sipho Towa, chairperson of Road Incident Management Systems, the bus was carrying more passengers than its licensed capacity of 70. It was also pulling a trailer.
Overloaded bus was pulling trailer
“A bus travelling on the N1 South, en route from Edenburg to Bloemfontein, was involved in an accident. The bus, with a trailer attached, overturned. Over 70 passengers were on board,” said Towa.
Immediately after the accident had happened, multiple emergency services responded promptly. And those injured were transported to various hospitals for medical attention.
National District Hospital in Bloemfontein admitted 29 patients. Albert Nzula District Hospital in Trompsburg had to admit 31 patients.
Nine patients were taken to Pelonomi Hospital, while two were admitted at Botshabelo District Hospital.
Three deceased are one male and two females, all above 30 years of age. Their bodies were transported to the Bloemfontein Mortuary.
This is the second horrible accident to happen in the Free State since the festive season started.
On Saturday, six people were killed on the R57 between Heilbron and Petrus Steyn after a head-on collision.
Minister issues warning to road users
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has warned that the government will take a hard line against lawlessness on South African roads during the festive season.
She stressed that saving lives remains a top priority during the Christmas and New Year’s period.
“We will in the coming days maintain 24-hour high-visibility patrols on highways and secondary routes,” Creecy said.
“We will undertake alcohol operations every day of the festive season, with high intensity over the weekend. And we will patrol areas of pedestrian density to improve compliance with road regulations.”
She identified alcohol-related crashes, excessive speed, reckless driving, driver fatigue, and pedestrian deaths. These occur particularly in peri-urban and rural areas. And she fingered them as the most serious risks.
Campaign to go beyond festive season
According to Creecy, these dangers underline the fact that road deaths can be prevented if behaviour changes.
The minister gave the mid-term review of the 2025 festive season road safety campaign. She said the festive period brings increased travel, family gatherings, and economic activity. But it also bring sharply higher road risks.
Creecy said the campaign is part of a long-term national effort to reduce crashes and fatalities beyond the holiday season.
Early figures suggest that enforcement and awareness efforts are having an impact.
The preliminary data indicates a decrease in fatalities compared to the same period last year. Between December 1 and 16, fatal crashes fell by 20.9%, while fatalities decreased by 20.8%.
