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The crash involved a passenger bus and a light motor vehicle, resulting in the bus driver losing control and the bus overturning.
Covered bodies are seen at the scene of a bus accident in Kempton Park, 11 March 2025. At least 16 people were killed, and 45 others injured, when their bus crashed near OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park. The bus, owned by the Ekurhuleni municipality, ferries passengers daily from Katlehong to Kempton Park. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the families of the 16 people who lost their lives in a bus crash on the R21 freeway in Ekurhuleni.
Ramaphosa also wished the 45 others injured in the accident a speedy recovery.
The crash involved a passenger bus and a light motor vehicle on Tuesday morning near the OR Tambo International Airport. The bus driver lost control and the bus overturned.
Ramaphosa said he was “deeply saddened” by the bus crash.
“While the causes of these recent incidents are still under investigation, we are reminded that tragedies such as these leave more than physical scars, as they cause trauma that affects family relationships and the lives of survivors.
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“Incidents such as these impact on people’s ability to earn a living; they impact our health and emergency services; they drive up insurance and result in expensive vehicle repairs, and they affect businesses who lose personnel in this process,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa stressed that motorists must reflect on their responsibility and conduct when they get behind the wheel of a vehicle, “big and small.”
“When we ask how safe our roads are, we actually need to ask how safe we are as drivers and pedestrians. The biggest factor in crashes is human error, not law enforcement or road conditions.
“Drivers must ensure vehicles are roadworthy and must obey the rules of the road. They are there to keep us safe. Where drivers ignore these rules, they stand a chance of losing their lives or being critically injured. And where they survive, they will end up in our courts and correctional centres,” Ramaphosa said.
Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and her deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, expressed concern over the spate of recent crashes involving passenger buses.
Creecy’s spokesperson, Collen Msibi, said the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has dispatched a crash investigation unit and law enforcement officials to determine the cause of the accident.
Meanwhile, the families of the victims have been flocking to local hospitals in hopes of identifying their loved ones.
Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza said they have activated a disaster management centre which families can go to enquire about their family members.
ALSO READ: Death toll from horrific bus crash near OR Tambo Airport rises [VIDEO]
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