Following yet another fatal bus crash on the N1, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and her deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, have called on the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) to find a solution.
As the country’s most important route, essentially running the length of South Africa, the N1 also serves as a corridor into and out of the country through the Beitbridge border to Zimbabwe.
The stretch between Louis Trichardt and Musina, where travellers cross into or return from Zimbabwe, has garnered a reputation as one of the most dangerous sections along South Africa’s most important national road.
In the latest incident, which occurred early in the morning on Thursday, 19 February, five lives were lost, and 30 passengers sustained injuries when the driver reportedly lost control of a bus travelling to Zimbabwe.
According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), six passengers sustained serious injuries, while a further 23 were left slightly injured.
The Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety confirmed the driver was amongst the deceased.
The injured passengers were admitted to nearby hospitals, while the RTMC lodged an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Following the crash, ministers Creecy and Hlengwa directed Sanral to find an urgent engineering solution to the persistent rise in road crashes along the same road curve near Louis Trichardt.
Crashes on the notorious curve often involve heavier motor vehicles, including buses and trucks.
The ministers have also directed the RTMC to provide an update report on a directive their department issued in October last year, following another fatal crash involving a bus travelling to Zimbabwe.
The directive was issued to instruct the RTMC to intensify roadworthiness inspections on buses crossing the Beitbridge border.
The Transport Department confirmed that both the RTMC and Sanral are expected to prioritise the incident, as well as possible solutions.
A treacherous route
The route between Louis Trichardt and Musina has seen many accidents over the years, particularly on the curve that the ministers want addressed.
This is also not the first fatal crash on the route, as the last few months have seen several deadly crashes take place on the road between the two towns.
In July last year, a truck lost control before colliding with both a light delivery vehicle and a bus, leaving the bus driver dead and several passengers injured.
A few months later, in mid-October, 40 Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals travelling home from Gqeberha died in a horror crash along the same route.
At the end of November, five people were killed, and 15 were injured when a bus overturned on the N1 outside Louis Trichardt. The crash involved two trucks, a sedan, a bakkie, and a minibus taxi.
In December, several accidents involving heavy motor vehicles and trucks were reported, including one involving a petrol tanker.
Two people lost their lives, and seven were injured on Christmas Day when a truck and a bus travelling from Zimbabwe collided.
As recently as last week, the route had to be closed when a truck crashed on the mountainous section of the highway near the Hendrik Verwoerd tunnel.
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