LIMPOPO, South Africa – Thirteen Zimbabweans were killed when a Marsmery bus careered off a steep embankment on the N1 highway and landed on its roof in Louis Trichardt, South Africa, on Monday evening.
Twelve people were injured in the accident, which police say was likely caused by driver error.
The bus was heading to Johannesburg from Zimbabwe at the time of the accident.
Makoma Makhurupetje, the MEC for Transport and Community Safety in Limpopo province, called for tougher police checks on bus and driver fitness.
“The driver and vehicle fitness of long-distance cross border buses is a matter of deep concern to us, as this is almost the third time now this year that we are losing lives because of long distance buses,” Makhurupetje said.
“It’s about time that our law enforcement officers step up their routine checks on these buses to prevent this kind of accidents from happening.”
Among the dead in the accident, near Ingwe hotel north of Louis Trichardt, were four children. Five of the dead adults were males and four females.
Two passengers sustained very serious injuries, and five others were being treated for serious injuries, ER24 spokesperson, Ineke van Huyssteen, said.
Paramedics arrived at the scene to find the bus lying on its roof off the roadway. The injured were transported to hospitals for further medical care.
Marsmery buses have been in service since 1992. The company was founded by Bikita-born Munyaradzi James Murunziri who died in 2017.
The buses ply several regional routes including Johannesburg-Mutare, Johannesburg-Chipinge, Johannesburg-Gokwe and Johannesburg-Malawi.
