Speeding has been found to be a major contributing factor in the deadly Limpopo bus crash that claimed the lives of 43 people, the Department of Transport said on Friday.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) investigation into the crash in Makhado found that the driver of the bus drove at a speed too high for the conditions down the mountain pass.
‘Poorly repaired’
“During the mechanical investigation, it was also established that the bus and trailer only had five out of the 10 brakes in operational condition and that one brake on the bus had no braking ability. It was established that out of five brakes on the bus, one brake on was not in an operational condition.
“None of the four brakes on the trailer had been in any operational condition and the suspension had also been poorly repaired,” said the department as the preliminary report was given to the Minister of Transport.
This means that the bus and trailer only had half of its braking capacity, as the other half had not been operational for a long time.
“Therefore, the bus and trailer were not in a roadworthy condition by virtue of the defective braking system and the poorly repaired suspension of the trailer. This means that the driver of the bus and trailer was aware of this braking deficiency and had adapted his driving style to accommodate this defect.”
The bus was found to have had 91 occupants, even though the bus only had capacity for 62 occupants.
Additionally, there were 11 children between the ages of three to five years old and if Regulation 231 of the National Road Traffic Regulation 2000 is applied, then two children between the ages of three to six years old shall be counted as one person.
“This implies that at the time, the vehicle was overloaded by 23 persons. It has been established that the trailer attached to this bus was loaded with baggage and personal belongings.”
Road in ‘good condition’
While 43 people lost their lives in the crash, 34 others sustained serious injuries and a further six occupants sustained slight injuries.
CONFIRMED | 30 Zimbabweans and six Malawians among 43 Limpopo bus crash victims
On the issue of road conditions at the time of the crash, the investigation found that the road surface along the N1 before and after the crash scene was noted as being in good condition and therefore not considered a cause and/or contributory factor to this road crash.
The preliminary report on the crash has recommended that law enforcement operations be considered to examine and evaluate the roadworthiness of vehicles that enter South African roads, as the bus is a foreign registered vehicle.
Warning signs
“Such inspection could have detected the unroadworthy condition of the bus and the trailer, and this crash might not have occurred. [It was further recommended that the] RTMC’s National Traffic Police, together with their provincial counterparts, concentrate their attention on heavy vehicles that do not adhere to warning signs and do not reduce speed when driving downhill, as it is evident that the bus and trailer drove at a speed too fast for the road environment and failed to negotiate the hairpin bend,” said the department.
The department said that the RTMC investigation is still ongoing, and it will take 21 weeks to complete the final technical reconstruction report.
“The investigation will also look at what happened at the weigh bridges where the issue of overloading was supposed to have been detected.”
Action
Meanwhile, the Minister of Transport, Barbara has directed the RTMC to investigate the bus company’s responsibility in ensuring the roadworthiness of the bus and to further consider a culpable homicide complaint against the bus company in terms of the duties of the operator.
She has also requested the maintenance schedule and service records of this specific bus and to work with the Anti-Corruption Unit to establish which road testing center issued a roadworthy certificate for the bus, and establish if there are any DNC Coach Depots in SA to look at their fleet roadworthy status.
The corporation has also been instructed to liaise with provincial law enforcement authorities to ensure a compulsory roadworthy inspection, specifically focusing on the DNC Coach Fleet coming through South Africa’s borders.
