A fatal road accident in Merafong, a town located west of Johannesburg in Gauteng province, South Africa, claimed the lives of 12 schoolchildren and their driver on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. The accident took place a day after schools resumed classes following the winter break, when the minibus they were traveling in flipped over and caught fire.
The minibus, which was carrying the students, was rear-ended by a bakkie, a type of small commercial goods transport vehicle akin to a pickup truck, leading to the bus overturning and subsequently igniting, according to Gauteng education department spokesman Steve Mabona.
TV footage revealed the scorched wreckage of the minibus with schoolbooks strewn about the crash site. Sello Maremane, a representative for the Gauteng traffic police department, stated that the young victims were “burnt beyond recognition,” necessitating their identification by forensic experts. The driver of the bakkie was also taken to a hospital.
Officials confirmed that 11 of the deceased children were students at Rocklands Primary School, while one was from Laerskool Blyvooruitsig in Carletonville. The ages of the victims have yet to be disclosed, although the schools in question typically serve children between six and 13 years old.
In addition to the fatalities, seven other children sustained injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital in Carletonville. By late afternoon, most of the injured students had been discharged, as per local news reports.
Panyaza Lesufi, the head of the Gauteng provincial government, joined other officials in visiting the crash site and the hospital to provide support to the affected families. The Gauteng Education Minister Matome Chiloane expressed his sorrow over the tragic event, stating, “The loss of our children is a devastating blow to our community.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa conveyed his condolences and emphasized the significance of safeguarding children’s well-being. “This tragedy, which is not the first of its kind, demands that we exercise our obligation to protect our children with the utmost care,” he expressed.
This horrific incident has prompted calls for more stringent regulations and improved enforcement of existing road safety norms. Chiloane advised parents at the scene, “I have always said to parents we need to check the condition of the vehicles that we put our kids in.”
While South Africa has one of the most developed road networks in Africa, it also has alarming road safety statistics. In March, a bus carrying 45 people to a religious gathering veered off a bridge and fell into a ravine in the country’s north, resulting in multiple fatalities. The bus was en route from Botswana to Moria, a location known for drawing over a million worshippers for its Easter pilgrimage and service in recent years.
In February, at least nine supporters of the African National Congress party were killed in a bus accident while returning from a political rally in the country’s east.
Moreover, in May, a head-on collision between a minibus taxi and a truck on a major route in the northern province of Limpopo claimed 13 lives.
According to statistics published by South Africa’s Automobile Association (AA), 12,436 individuals lost their lives on South African roads from January to December 2022. This figure is slightly lower than the 12,541 deaths recorded over the same period in 2021, but the AA still describes the nation’s annual road fatality numbers as “a national crisis.”