A preliminary investigation by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) into the 12 October bus crash on the N1 North just outside Louis Trichardt in the Soutpansberg Mountain Pass has identified speeding and mechanical failure as major contributing factors to the tragedy that claimed 43 lives and injured 40 passengers. The preliminary report was released earlier today.
Thirty-four (34) occupants sustained serious injuries and a further six (6) occupants sustained slight injuries. Eight (8) occupants were recorded at the crash scene by first responders and refused any form of medical treatment. They had subsequently left the crash scene and none of their details were recorded.
The RTMC found that the bus driver was travelling at excessive speed for the mountain pass conditions. Critically, the bus and trailer were mechanically unroadworthy, operating with only half their braking capacity - five of ten brakes were functional, with one brake on the bus and all four brakes on the trailer non-operational. The trailer suspension had also been poorly repaired.
The vehicle was significantly overloaded, carrying 91 occupants when its seating capacity was 62 persons. When accounting for children aged three to five years under National Road Traffic Regulation requirements, the bus exceeded its capacity by 23 persons.
The investigation determined that weather conditions and road surface quality were not contributing factors. The N1 had good visibility, clear conditions, adequate signage and road markings.
The bus, which had been travelling from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape to Harare, Zimbabwe, carried passengers from Malawi, Congo and Zimbabwe.
The RTMC has recommended increased law enforcement operations targeting the roadworthiness of foreign-registered vehicles, heavy vehicle compliance with warning signs, and vehicle load inspections.
Minister Barbara Creecy has directed the RTMC to investigate the bus company's responsibility, consider culpable homicide charges, examine maintenance records, identify which testing centre issued the roadworthy certificate, and conduct compulsory inspections of the DNC Coach fleet at South African border posts.
A final technical reconstruction report will take 21 weeks to complete. The investigation will also look at what happened at the weigh bridges where the issue of overloading was supposed to have been detected.