At least 11 people were killed Thursday when a minibus taxi collided head-on with a truck near the coastal city of Durban in eastern South Africa, authorities said, the latest in a series of deadly road accidents involving public transport.
The crash occurred in KwaZulu-Natal province, where emergency responders pronounced 11 victims dead at the scene, including a schoolchild, according to preliminary information released by provincial transport officials.
Siboniso Duma, KwaZulu-Natal’s transport department spokesperson, said initial accounts from witnesses suggested the truck attempted a U-turn, leading to the head-on collision. Several others were seriously injured in the crash.
Garrith Jamieson, a spokesperson for ALS Paramedics, said multiple victims sustained critical injuries, including the minibus driver, who was trapped inside the wreckage and had to be extricated by rescue teams.
Preliminary investigations raised concerns about safety violations involving both vehicles. Duma said the truck was allegedly operating illegally and was found to have severely worn tires. Authorities also discovered that the minibus driver’s professional driving permit — required for operating public transport in South Africa — had expired in 2023.
The crash came just over a week after another deadly collision involving a truck and a minibus taxi transporting schoolchildren near Johannesburg. That Jan. 19 crash killed 14 children, and prosecutors later charged the 22-year-old minibus driver with 14 counts of murder, alleging reckless driving after he attempted to overtake several vehicles before the collision.
South Africa’s Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said Thursday she was “seriously concerned” by the persistent rise in fatal crashes involving public transport vehicles. She directed the Road Traffic Management Corporation to work with provincial and local authorities to investigate the Durban-area crash.
Creecy said a preliminary report is expected within 48 hours of the agency formally launching its investigation.
Minibus taxis are the backbone of public transportation in South Africa, carrying an estimated 70% of commuters daily. However, the sector has long faced scrutiny over vehicle roadworthiness, driver licensing and enforcement of safety regulations.
The latest incident also reflects a broader road safety crisis across Africa. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, road crashes kill roughly 300,000 people on the continent each year. Africa has the world’s highest traffic fatality rate, at about 26.6 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with a global average of around 18, despite accounting for only a small share of the world’s vehicles.
As investigations continue, officials said the Durban crash is likely to intensify calls for stricter oversight of public transport and tougher enforcement of road safety laws in South Africa.
AP
