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The Bus ended up next to a fence post after the accident.

Passengers injured in bus accident on Madombidzha road

 

Several of the 65 passengers on a bus travelling from Louis Trichardt to the Madombidzha area sustained injuries when the bus crashed into other vehicles and eventually ended up next to a fence.

The injured were rushed to the Louis Trichardt Memorial hospital, but most of them were discharged after being treated for bruises and scratches.

The incident occurred last Thursday on the Sinthumule road. The bus was transporting commuters to villages such as Madombidzha, Magau and Rathidili.

According to one of the passengers, Ms Takalani Makhitha from Madombidzha, commuters complained to the driver, saying that the bus was overloaded. The driver apparently ignored their complaints and kept on driving. As far as the accident is concerned, she only remembers that “there was a huge cloud of dust and we could not even see what was happening. I strongly believe that we were saved by the grace of God.”

She suffered minor injuries to her head and a fractured left foot. “This is the most horrible experience of my life,” she added. Another eyewitness, Ms Julia Musethla, explained that the bus first hit a car and then sped out of control into a bakkie. “When we saw the bus hitting a car at high speed, we screamed and, as if that was not enough, the bus also came straight to a (another) car and suddenly collided with the bakkie,” she said.

The driver of the bakkie, Mr Kassie de Lange, said that he was turning into his farm at Belkado when the accident occurred. He said that he didn’t know what had happened, because the bus came from behind, driving in the same direction as they did.

According to Const Irene Radzilani from the local SAPS, the accident occurred after the bus driver lost control and hit a bakkie that was coming from the same direction. “We have opened a case of reckless and negligent driving against the driver. Further charges may be brought against him, pending the outcome of police investigations,” she said.

The continuous spate of fatal road accidents in the region is fast becoming a major concern. Last Wednesday, seven people died when a taxi collided with a truck at Musina and a further 11 people were admitted to hospital.

A clearly distraught accident victim, Karabo Rathongwa (14) of Madombidzha, photopraphed waiting for an ambulance after the accident.

 

Date:17 July 2015

By: Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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