Dlamini acknowledged that the crash was deeply traumatic for both the commuters and the City of Johannesburg.
At around 7.15am on the day of the accident, a single-decker Metrobus travelling from Randburg was driving up Jan Smuts Avenue in the Saxonwold area. It is believed that the driver was speeding as he negotiated the curve of the road and hit the barricade on the left side of the road and as result, the bus swerved right into the opposing lane and collided head-on with a double-decker Metrobus travelling in the opposite direction.
“As luck would have it, the vehicle [the single-decker bus] crashed into what was another [double-decker] Metrobus that was stationary at the time,” said Dlamini.
He stated that it took nearly four hours to pull the two buses apart. The bus driver of the double-decker bus as well as two female passengers lost their lives.
“If the bus had not been driving at high speed, I think the fatalities and the extent of the damages would not be what it was… [this was an] accident that possibly could have been avoided had we been as meticulous, as a bus operator, as we should have been,” he said.
Dlamini indicated that the company was deeply affected by the tragedy. He stated that management directed all staff to a meeting on 28 April and engaged with employees on how to get a better level of diligence and passenger safety.
Dlamini also conceded that more needs to be done on briefing and interacting with drivers before they embarked on routes.
With regards to injuries, Metrobus stated that 66 people were injured, 44 of which were hospitalised with five of them in a serious condition. On the day of the press briefing (4 May) there was only one passenger who still remained in hospital.
Although Dlamini indicated that wet weather conditions may have also attributed to the accident, he noted that the surviving bus driver is expected to provide his version of events to the company. He explained that Metrobus was still awaiting a report from the police and the forensic team who were still in possession of the wreckage.
On compensation to those affected, Dlamini said Metrobus as a municipal entity is covered under a general insurance portfolio managed by the City, however he noted that the Road Accident Fund should be the first office to approach to claim for damages. Should the compensation not be adequate from the fund, claimants then subsequently have the latitude to approach the City, as they are a shareholder of Metrobus.
“We are truly very sorry that this happened, we are going to do everything we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.
Rosebank police have confirmed that a case of culpable homicide has been opened.
