Five people have died and 12 others sustained injuries when a minibus taxi they were travelling in overturned on a gravel road at Mgwenyane, Libode, in the Eastern Cape.
This occurred on Thursday night when the driver of the fully packed Toyota Quantum from Mthatha to the Majola location lost control of the vehicle.
A two-month-old infant who passed away instantly was among the dead, according to the provincial department of transportation.
Cause of accident
“Four passengers, including a male adult, a female passenger who was thought to be their spouse, and two children, the smallest of whom was two months old — died at the scene,” said Unathi Binqose, the spokesperson for the department.
“An elderly woman in her 70s later passed away from her wounds after being taken to St Barnabas Hospital in Ntlaza.”
About three more passengers, including the driver, were reported to have suffered serious injuries, according to Binqose, while nine others only had minor wounds.
“It is believed that brake failure contributed to the crash, as it [the vehicle] is said to have reversed in hilly terrain.
“A case of culpable homicide has been opened at Libode SAPS [SA Police Service] for further investigations.”
Plea to bus companies
A week ago on the N1 highway in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo, a bus accident claimed the lives of 10 people when it overturned. Many others were injured.
The bus was travelling from Zimbabwe to Johannesburg when the accident occurred, according to Limpopo transport and community safety MEC Violet Mathye.Â
“Scores of passengers sustained injuries of varying degrees in the process and have been taken to hospitals in Mokopane,” Mathye said at the time.
“The accidents are affecting cross-border public transport operators.”
She urged bus companies to make sure that their drivers were “fit for purpose, as fatigue could have been a contributing factor in the accidents”.
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