The major accident happened on Monday at approximately 5.30pm on the R27 close to Vredendal. Picture: Supplied
At least nine people have been killed after a bus carrying 44 passengers veered off Van Rhyns Pass in the Western Cape.
It is understood the major accident happened on Monday at approximately 5.30 pm on the R27 close to Vredendal.
Several other people are reported to have been injured in the accident.
Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson Simon Zwane said the exact cause of the accident is still under investigation.
“The crash involved one passenger bus-type vehicle with a fixed object crash. It is alleged the bus was transporting 44 people.
“It is alleged the bus driver collided with the side of the mountain slope, after which the driver lost control and the bus rolled down the slope of the mountain. Updated information will be provided as soon as it is available,” Zwane said.
Zwane said the scene was attended to by Vanrhynsdorp police.
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Meanwhile, at least 21 people died in three motor vehicle accidents in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) over the weekend.
A two-vehicle collision on the R622 Mooi Plaza on Greytown Road claimed the lives of 12 people, while a crash on the R74 Kranskop Road involving uMkhonto Wesizwe Party members left 10 people critically injured and six dead. Others died in a crash at Stanger along the N2.
Cases of culpable homicide have been opened, and investigations are continuing.
Following the accidents, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli called on all road law enforcement agencies to execute all possible measures to reduce road carnage across the province.
Speaking at a media briefing on Monday morning, MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma said this was the worst carnage seen on the province’s roads under the seventh administration.
“There is a dark cloud hanging over the province following the deaths of 21 people in separate road accidents,” Duma said.
Additional reporting by Chulumanco Mahamba
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