At least 40 people have died after a passenger bus plunged off an embankment in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, according to provincial transport minister Violet Mathye.
The victims include citizens of Malawi and Zimbabwe, as well as a 10-month-old girl.
The tragic accident occurred on Sunday, about 90 kilometres from the Beitbridge border, as the bus headed toward Zimbabwe.
Mathye told Newzroom Afrika that the driver appeared to have lost control before the vehicle veered off the road and tumbled down a steep slope.
Rescue Teams Still Searching for Victims
By Monday morning, emergency teams were still at the crash site. Mathye confirmed that “40 bodies already have been recovered to date,” adding that more victims may still be trapped under the wreckage.
According to eNCA, thirty-eight survivors have been hospitalised with varying degrees of injury.
The passengers were mostly Malawians and Zimbabweans working in South Africa, travelling home aboard the long-distance bus that had set out from the coastal city of Gqeberha—about 1,500 kilometres away.
Authorities suspect that the crash may have been caused by driver fatigue or a mechanical fault, though investigations are ongoing.
Deadly Roads, Familiar Grief
South Africa has one of Africa’s most extensive road networks, yet it remains one of the continent’s deadliest.
Fatal crashes are common—often linked to reckless driving, speeding, poor vehicle maintenance, and fatigue among long-haul drivers.
Sunday’s tragedy adds to a string of recent road accidents that have claimed dozens of lives across the country.
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