A devastating crash involving a minibus taxi and a truck in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, near Durban, resulted in the death of eleven individuals, including a 13-year-old student. The accident took place on the R102 near Lotus Park around 7:30 a.m. on January 29, trapping and critically injuring several passengers.
Garrith Jamieson, a spokesperson for ALS Paramedics, confirmed the severity of the crash, stating that it caused multiple fatalities and serious injuries. Emergency responders reported that seven victims were left in critical condition.
According to KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Siboniso Duma, the casualty count is preliminary. “Witnesses have alleged that the truck driver made a U-turn resulting in a head-on collision,” he said.
In the aftermath of the collision, the truck veered off the road and pressed the minibus against a tree. The driver of the minibus was among those critically injured and trapped amidst the wreckage. Teams from the eThekwini fire department were dispatched to the scene to extricate passengers from the debris.
This tragic event follows a similar crash in Johannesburg on January 19, which claimed the lives of 14 schoolchildren. Authorities reported that the minibus involved in that accident was trying to overtake several vehicles when it collided with a truck. The 22-year-old driver was initially charged with an offense akin to manslaughter, but the charges were later escalated to murder.
Expressing concern over the rising number of fatal accidents involving public transportation, South Africa’s Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy, instructed the Road Traffic Management Corporation to collaborate with local authorities to investigate the incident.
Minibus taxis, serving nearly 70% of daily commuters, constitute the main mode of public transportation in South Africa. They are vital to facilitating transport networks across both urban and rural regions of the country.
Road safety remains a serious issue throughout Africa. The continent records around 300,000 road-related deaths annually, accounting for nearly 25% of all such fatalities worldwide, despite possessing only 3% of the global vehicle fleet. As per the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Africa has the highest traffic death rate globally, with 26.6 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to the global average of 18.
The recent accident near Durban underscores the ongoing dilemmas faced by South Africa’s transportation sector. As the nation strives to enhance safety standards while keeping transportation services affordable for millions of commuters, an investigation into the factors that contributed to this latest tragedy is ongoing.
The occurrence of two major minibus taxi crashes in close succession has spurred calls for sweeping reforms of the industry and broader road safety measures. Transport officials are under increasing pressure to address systemic problems that continue to cause fatalities on South African roads, while ensuring that essential transportation services remain accessible to the millions who rely on them daily.
Recent data indicates that the country recorded 11,418 road fatalities last year, a reduction of approximately 6.2 percent compared to 2024.
