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Panic and chaos gripped passengers aboard a Delta bus travelling from Johannesburg to Zimbabwe on Thursday morning when armed robbers hijacked the vehicle, leaving two people dead and scores traumatised.
The incident occurred in the early hours of 9 October 2025, shortly after the bus passed the third toll gate along its northbound route. What began as a routine long-distance journey turned into a scene of terror as gunmen struck with ruthless precision.
Witnesses described the attack as sudden and brutal. Within minutes, passengers were forced to the floor, their belongings stripped away at gunpoint. Screams filled the bus as the assailants fired shots, allegedly killing two people before fleeing into the dark.
Early alerts about the attack first appeared on social media. A Facebook post by The Chronicle carried chilling details in isiNdebele and English, claiming: “KunoDelta Bus osuke ngo4 eGoli sebanjwe inkunzi manje after iToll gate lesi3 abantu bathathelwe imali namafoni… Sekudutshulwe abantu 2 sebeshonile.”
The translation was stark: a Delta bus that left Johannesburg at 4am had been hijacked after the third toll gate; passengers were robbed of phones and cash; and two people had been shot dead. The post added that the robbers had boarded the bus earlier in Johannesburg, posing as ordinary passengers before unleashing their attack.
By the time police arrived, the crime scene was one of devastation — blood on the floor, shattered glass, and terrified passengers gathered on the roadside in shock.
Police and Emergency Services Respond
Gauteng police confirmed that a team of investigators and emergency medical personnel had been dispatched to the scene. “Our members attended to an incident involving an interstate passenger bus travelling from Johannesburg to Zimbabwe,” a police spokesperson said. “At this stage, we can confirm that several passengers were injured, and fatalities have been reported. An inquest and armed robbery case have been opened.”
Authorities have not yet released the names of the deceased as investigations continue. Police are now appealing to anyone with information that could lead to the identification and arrest of the suspects.
“We Thought It Was the End” — Passenger Recounts Horror
One survivor, speaking to The Chronicle, said the gunmen appeared calm and coordinated. “They stood up after the toll gate, pulled out guns, and shouted for everyone to lie down. They took everything — money, phones, passports. We thought it was the end,” she said, her voice trembling. “When someone screamed, they fired. That’s when two people were hit.”
Another passenger said the attackers seemed to know the route and timing of the bus. “They didn’t stop the bus on the highway by accident — they knew exactly where to strike. It looked planned.”
The driver was reportedly forced to comply at gunpoint as the robbers ransacked the bus. Some passengers who attempted to resist were beaten.
Families Desperate for News
As word of the attack spread, families of passengers scrambled to make contact with their loved ones. However, most could not reach anyone — their phones had been taken during the hijacking.
The social media post that first broke the news quickly went viral, with hundreds of people sharing and commenting in panic. “If you have a relative who boarded Delta, please check on them,” one user pleaded. Others condemned the growing wave of cross-border crimes that have left travellers vulnerable.
A Worrying Pattern on South Africa–Zimbabwe Routes
Thursday’s hijacking has once again highlighted the persistent danger facing buses travelling between South Africa and Zimbabwe. Long-distance coaches — particularly those heading north from Johannesburg — have increasingly become targets for organised criminal gangs.
These routes, often carrying travellers with large sums of money or goods bound for relatives across the border, have turned into hunting grounds for syndicates that use hijacking, robbery, and violence to terrorise commuters.
Transport analysts say the latest attack underscores the urgent need for stronger policing on major highways, especially along the busy N1 and N3 corridors that connect South Africa to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
“Bus hijackings and cross-border robberies are not isolated crimes,” said crime analyst Lebogang Motloung. “They’re part of a coordinated pattern where criminals exploit poor visibility, long night journeys, and weak patrols.”
Motloung added that syndicates often infiltrate public transport networks, with some robbers disguising themselves as passengers before striking mid-route — a tactic consistent with Thursday’s Delta bus attack.
Government Under Pressure to Act
The Department of Transport has been urged to take immediate measures to protect travellers, including mandatory security escorts for long-distance buses on high-risk routes and enhanced highway surveillance.
Opposition parties have also weighed in, criticising the government’s failure to curb rising crimes against intercity and cross-border commuters. “We cannot have a situation where ordinary citizens are hunted like prey on public roads,” said one opposition spokesperson. “The government must declare these routes high-security zones.”
Meanwhile, both South African and Zimbabwean consular authorities are said to be in contact to assist affected families and ensure the bodies of the deceased are repatriated once identified.
A Journey That Never Reached Its Destination
For the passengers who survived, the terror on the road between Johannesburg and Zimbabwe will not be forgotten soon.
The bus, which had left the city in the quiet of early morning, never made it past its halfway mark. By midday, the vehicle stood abandoned under police guard — a grim reminder of lives lost and the fear that still grips those who travel between the two countries.
Two people are dead, others injured, and dozens traumatised — yet the suspects remain at large.
As investigators comb through witness statements and CCTV footage, one thing is clear: what happened on that road was more than a hijacking. It was another chapter in a long, bloody story of lawlessness on South Africa’s highways — one that shows no sign of ending.
