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According to witnesses, the taxi driver was trying to overtake five vehicles at high speed. Witnesses saw the truck coming but do not understand why the taxi continued. Police have opened 13 counts of culpable homicide following a deadly school transport crash in Vanderbijlpark, deepening scrutiny on road safety and accountability in scholar transport.
The charges stem from a collision that unfolded in the early hours of Monday morning on a narrow stretch of road outside the Vaal area, a route long associated with dangerous driving and heavy truck traffic. Children were being transported to school when the minibus taxi they were travelling in collided head-on with a truck, triggering one of the worst scholar transport tragedies in recent years.
Police spokesperson Mavela Masondo confirmed that the culpable homicide cases had been formally opened and said additional charges could follow as investigations progress. He said investigators are still piecing together the full circumstances that led to the crash and will expand the scope of the case if evidence warrants it.
The initial death toll was reported as 11 at the scene. As the day progressed, authorities confirmed that two more children later died from their injuries, bringing the total number of fatalities to 13. The confirmation cast a heavy pall over surrounding communities, schools, and families waiting for news.
Emergency services were alerted shortly after 6am. By the time paramedics arrived, the scale of the collision had already overwhelmed the narrow roadway. The minibus taxi had been severely damaged, and rescue teams were forced to work carefully amid twisted metal and debris as they searched for survivors.
Gauteng Traffic Police spokesperson Sello Maremane said 12 pupils died at the scene, while one succumbed to injuries in hospital. Several other children were injured and remain under medical care, some in serious condition. The driver of the minibus survived and is expected to provide a formal statement to police.
Preliminary findings point to a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre as the trigger for the crash. Maremane said early investigations indicate that the minibus driver attempted to pass a vehicle ahead and failed to see the oncoming truck in time, resulting in a head-on collision. The speed at which the taxi was travelling is now a central focus of the investigation.
Witness accounts have intensified concerns. Several motorists who were on the road at the time described the taxi weaving through traffic moments before the collision. They said the truck was clearly visible on the opposite lane, raising urgent questions about judgement, pressure on drivers, and the conditions under which scholar transport operates.
The road where the crash occurred is known among local residents for frequent near-misses and heavy truck use. Community members say complaints about speeding and reckless driving have been raised before, but little has changed. Monday’s tragedy has renewed calls for intervention on routes used daily by school transport vehicles.
As news of the deaths spread, parents rushed to schools and hospitals seeking information about their children. Some were forced to wait hours for official confirmation as authorities worked to identify victims and notify families. Counselling services have since been arranged for affected schools.
Senior provincial leaders arrived at the scene later in the morning. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC for Education Matome Chiloane met with emergency responders and families, describing the situation as devastating and avoidable.
“It really is a tragic day for us as the Department and the province,” Chiloane said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the learners, families, and school communities affected.” He said the focus would now shift to supporting grieving families and ensuring accountability.
Police confirmed that statements will be taken from eyewitnesses, including the surviving driver of the scholar transport vehicle. The truck driver is also expected to be questioned as part of the investigation, although officials have stressed that no conclusions will be drawn until all evidence is reviewed.
Road safety experts say the crash highlights longstanding weaknesses in the regulation of scholar transport, particularly the use of minibus taxis on high-risk routes. While thousands of children rely on such transport daily, oversight of vehicle condition, driver behaviour, and route safety remains inconsistent.
Statistics from previous years show that early-morning crashes involving school transport are often linked to speeding, overtaking, and pressure to meet tight schedules. In Gauteng, where traffic volumes are among the highest in the country, those risks are magnified.
As investigators continue to comb the scene and reconstruct the moments before impact, the focus is increasingly shifting beyond the immediate cause of the collision. Questions are being raised about enforcement, road design, and whether warning signs were ignored long before Monday morning.
By late afternoon, police had made it clear that this would not be treated as a routine accident. The decision to open multiple counts of culpable homicide signals a move towards criminal accountability, reflecting the severity of the loss.
At the heart of the investigation is a stark conclusion that has come into sharp focus: 13 children did not die simply because of a collision, but because a chain of risky decisions, weak controls, and a dangerous road environment converged at the exact moment they were on their way to school.
