FORTY-TWO people, including migrants from Zimbabwe and Malawi who had travelled to South Africa seeking better opportunities, died Sunday night when their bus plunged down an embankment on the N1 highway, approximately 90 kilometres from Musina.
The victims included a 10-month-old baby, making the disaster one of the deadliest road accidents in South Africa’s recent history. The dead comprised 18 adult women, 17 adult men, and seven children.
The passengers had been travelling from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, heading to Zimbabwe and Malawi to reunite with family and relatives, many of whom they hadn’t seen in months. Their journey home ended in carnage when the bus lost control on a steep section of the highway, rolled down an embankment, and landed on its roof.
More than 30 passengers were hospitalised, with emergency services continuing to search the wreckage for additional victims.
President Cyril Ramaphosa mourned the tragedy on Monday, calling it a devastating loss not only for South Africa but for the entire region. The timing proved bitterly ironic—the crash occurred during South Africa’s annual Transport Month, dedicated to road safety awareness.
“Our roads are economic networks that unite people across borders,” President Ramaphosa said in a statement. “We must all—road users, transport operators, drivers, and passengers—commit to safety, responsibility, and care on our roads.”
The accident exposes the persistent dangers facing migrant workers who traverse South Africa’s highways seeking economic opportunities while maintaining ties with families across borders. Many of the victims had likely spent months working in South Africa before attempting to return home.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya is handling media inquiries.
The crash adds to South Africa’s grim road safety record, coming months after another deadly bus accident in Limpopo that claimed 45 lives in March 2024.
