New details have emerged about the Wednesday morning crash between a Putco bus and a truck on the R573 Moloto Road in Cullinan, Gauteng.
The accident happened when the truck driver was attempting to overtake a car in front of him. This led the truck to veer onto the bus lane and collide with the bus.
These details were revealed by Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu, according to an interim report and video footage of the accident.
The crash happened before 7am on Wednesday on the R573 Moloto Road next to Wagendrift Clinic in Cullinan.
Thirteen injured, five more being treated
Xulu said thus far, 13 people sustained minor injuries from the crash and are expected to be discharged from the hospitals.
He said five other people are still being treated in hospitals for injuries.
Xulu said the driver of the Putco bus is in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
He said no fatalities have been reported at this stage.
A comprehensive media statement will be issued at a later stage on the head-on collision.
Rams emergency medical services spokesperson Winston Ramaremela said medical personnel arrived at the scene around 6.45am.
Ramaremela said the injured people were taken to several hospitals in Pretoria.
Series of incidents involving Putco buses
Last week, 51 Putco buses were torched by a group of 35 armed suspects in Mpumalanga.
The suspects, who were wearing black clothes and balaclavas, stormed into Putco depots in Mpumalanga and torched the buses.
Two employees were injured during the attack—one was shot in the leg, and the other one was physically assaulted with a chair.
Both victims were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Sixteen buses were burnt at the Moloto depot, near KwaMhlanga, while 35 buses were brought to ashes at the Siyabuswa depots (18 in Maphotla and 17 in Thabana).
Mpumalanga suspects arrested
Two male suspects, Isaack Mabena, 29, and Luthando Trevor Skosana, 37, were arrested last week in connection with the attack in Thabana.
One of the suspects was found with an unloaded 9mm pistol magazine and one of the victims’ cellphones.
The suspects appeared at the Mdutjane Magistrate’s Court in Siyabuswa on Thursday. They face charges of armed robbery, malicious damage to property, and possession of suspected stolen property.
The case was postponed to February 6 for bail investigations, and the suspects remain in custody.
