Zimbabwean authorities have confirmed that that they will carry the costs of repatriating the remains of people who died in a horrific bus accident outside Makhado in Limpopo on Tuesday evening.
Zimbabwe’s Consul-General in South Africa, Eria Phiri, addressed the media after visiting the accident scene. He said the government of Zimbabwe will ensure that the 10 bus crash victims are transported to their native country.
The deceased were five men and five women. More than 30 other passengers sustained minor injuries. Twelve other passengers were reportedly in serious conditions.
The bus was travelling from Bulawayo en route to Johannesburg.
Phiri said they are busy identifying the bodies. Two of the deceased have been positively identified, he said.
“At the moment, we are busy trying to verify the real identity of those who died in the accident. So far, we have got 10 and I think we still have seven who were admitted in various hospitals in Makhado. A total of 32 victims were treated and discharged. We are in talks with some of the deceased’s families back home in Zimbabwe.
“The first step would be to ascertain the identities of those who are in the mortuary. Thereafter the Zimbabwean government will henceforth start with the facilitation of the repatriation.
“All the costs towards the repatriation of the deceased are going to be met by the government of Zimbabwe.”
Some victims refused hospital admission
Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhulekwa Hlengwa, raised concerns over behaviour of some of the victims. He said he was worried that some of the injured passengers refused to be admitted to hospitals. And this raised suspicions about them being in South Africa legally.
During his visit to the accident scene on Thursday, Hlengwa also visited survivors at the Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital.
The hospital said it received 40 patients on the night of the accident. It added that 35 of them have been discharged.
Hlengwa said the preliminary report from Limpopo traffic officials was that the accident was attributed to driver error.
“We are currently waiting for a comprehensive report from the Road Traffic Management Cooperation. This will enable us to investigate fully the cause of this accident.
Consequences of reckless driving
“As transport authorities, we encourage all drivers to exercise maximum caution. This because most of these accidents which claim multiple lives on our roads are due to reckless driving and utmost disregard for traffic laws.
“It has to be noted that the consequences of reckless driving have crippling effects on our societies and the economy,” Hlengwa said.
The bus driver was reported to have driven over a roundabout at high speed when he lost control.
This caused the bus to then overturn, resulting in the fatalities and injuries in the process.
The bus driver was new on his job and not familiar with the surroundings around Makhado, as reported.
Limpopo premier, Phophi Ramathuba, said the provincial government is working closely with relevant authorities. They want to ensure that the families of the deceased receive the necessary support.
Ramathuba emphasised the critical importance of road safety, particularly on long-distance routes frequently used by buses and heavy-duty vehicles.
She called on all road users to adhere to traffic regulations to prevent such devastating accidents from occurring.
