How did a ‘severely overloaded’ Malawi-bound bus pass Gauteng festive roadblocks until Polokwane?
Passengers are offloaded from a Malawi-bound bus stopped in Polokwane after travelling through Gauteng despite being severely overloaded.
Image: Supplied
An overloaded cross-border bus travelling from Gauteng to Malawi was intercepted by traffic authorities on the N1 bypass near Polokwane on Thursday morning, Limpopo transport officials said.
The 65-seater bus was stopped at about 9 am on December 18, adjacent to the Peter Mokaba Stadium, after officers observed that it was severely overloaded.
According to the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety, the bus was carrying a total of 117 occupants — comprising one driver, 101 passengers and 15 minors — exceeding its legal capacity by 52 passengers.
Passengers are offloaded from a Malawi-bound bus stopped in Polokwane after travelling through Gauteng despite being severely overloaded.
Image: Supplied
While being redirected to the Provincial Traffic Control Centre (PTCC), the vehicle became immobilised a short distance from the Polokwane weighbridge.
During the stop, the driver allegedly attempted to flee the scene but was intercepted, restrained and arrested by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Limpopo traffic officers.
The department said the bus will remain at the PTCC until the excess passengers are offloaded and the prescribed fine is paid. Further investigations are continuing.
The incident comes amid heightened road safety operations as authorities intensify enforcement during the festive travel period.
Passengers are offloaded from a Malawi-bound bus stopped in Polokwane after travelling through Gauteng despite being severely overloaded.
Image: Supplied
In October, IOL reported that Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba described the deadly N1 bus crash that claimed 43 lives as “a preventable disaster” and “an act of criminal negligence,” following revelations that the vehicle was overloaded, unroadworthy and speeding when it plunged down a steep embankment near Louis Trichardt.
Ramathuba met with the families and relatives of the deceased at Siloam Hospital in the Vhembe District, where she extended her condolences and expressed solidarity with those mourning the loss of their loved ones. Addressing the gathering, she said the tragedy was not an unavoidable act of fate but the result of “lawlessness and greed” within the cross-border transport industry.
The victims — mostly Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals — were travelling home when the bus veered off the N1 North near Louis Trichardt on 13 October, killing 43 passengers and injuring 40 others.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
IOL News