At least 11 people, including a schoolchild, were killed early on Thursday in a head-on collision between a truck and a minibus taxi on a highway south of Durban, authorities said.
Eight other passengers were seriously injured and rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent treatment.
According to officials, preliminary witness accounts suggest the truck driver was attempting a U-turn when the crash occurred. Local media reported that an initial police inspection found the truck’s tyres were badly worn.
The minibus taxi driver’s licence is said to have expired several years ago, while the vehicle was reportedly overloaded at the time of the crash. The taxi driver was pulled from the wreckage and remains in hospital in critical condition. The truck driver also survived. Both men are under police guard.
The KwaZulu-Natal transport department has called for the two drivers to face multiple murder charges.
The tragedy comes just a week after a similar crash in Johannesburg that claimed the lives of 14 schoolchildren. In that case, the driver was arrested and charged with 14 counts of murder after authorities said he was driving recklessly while overtaking several vehicles before colliding with a truck.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy on Thursday voiced “serious concerns” over the rising number of traffic deaths, particularly those involving public transport.
Minibus taxis are a critical mode of transport in South Africa, used by an estimated 70 per cent of the population for daily commuting.
