OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday 9.15am.
TWENTY-SIX people were killed and 52 injured when a another bus left the road and overturned between Queenstown and Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape on Sunday night.
The accident happened around 6pm, about 25km from Queenstown, after a white VW Golf apparently tried to overtake the bus in wet conditions.
Kopolo said the roof of the bus was crushed when the vehicle rolled before coming to rest on its wheels in a field.
Nineteen people, including four children, died on impact and another seven died later in hospital.
The bus driver is among the dead. The four occupants of the Golf are unhurt.
The exact cause of the accident is unknown.
Kopolo said a case of culpable homicide will be investigated.
The bus, which was owned by Thlabane, was on route to Rustenburg from Umtata.
Transport Minister Dullah Omar has asked the Eastern Cape provincial transport department for a detailed report on the cause of the crash. Ministry spokesman Mike Mabasa said on Monday the report is expected before the end of the week.
An average of 10000 people are killed each year on South Africa’s roads. In December alone nearly 1000 people died in road accidents.
There have been a series of horrific bus crashes in recent months, including one last September in which 26 elderly British tourists and their South African guide were killed.