One of the survivors of the DNC bus crash that claimed 42 lives near Makhado, Limpopo, South Africa, on Sunday afternoon has described how the driver was speeding just moments before the tragedy.
Chaoma Mukondiona (25), a Zimbabwean national, said terrified passengers had scolded the driver after he narrowly avoided a head-on collision, shortly before the bus veered off the road and plunged down an embankment. He said:
“I saw it with my own eyes. The bus was travelling at high speed and he was getting into a head-on collision but managed to control the bus.”
Mukondiona, who boarded the bus in East London, Eastern Cape, said he grew tired of standing during the journey and decided to sleep on the floor, as he had been unable to find a seat on the overcrowded bus.
He said he managed to find a spot in the aisle and fell asleep. Said Mukondiona:
“The last thing I remember before falling asleep was that the bus was travelling at high speed. Then I woke up in hospital. I was terrified.”
Over 80 people are believed to have been travelling on the DNC bus that overturned on the N1 near Louis Trichardt (Makhado), along a mountainous section of the road. Forty-two people died, while 49 were taken to the hospital.
Mukondiona, who works at a poultry factory in Mthatha, said he was unhappy to board the bus after he found out that there were no available seats.
Although he and other passengers complained, he decided to get on regardless, due to urgent commitments back home, including attending an exam and buying a cow for a ceremony in honour of his late grandfather. He said:
“Lying in hospital, I realised that it was bad for me as I had important things to do at home… It is a miracle to be found alive while others died. My God is with me.”
Mukondiona said he lost his academic certificates, as well as R2,500 in cash and clothes he had bought for his parents in the crash.
Another passenger, Willard Suweni from Machinga, Malawi, confirmed claims of speeding and general reckless driving.
He explained that the first sign of trouble came when he overheard the two drivers discussing the brakes, saying they were not working properly and that the trailer would need to be removed as it was overloaded.
Other passengers also heard this and began talking among themselves, uncertain what would happen to the trailer.
The trailer was never removed, and the journey continued from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), where Suweni had boarded, to the next stop in East London.
He said the ride had been smooth initially, but everything changed in Bloemfontein when the driver began overspeeding.
Passengers reportedly urged him to slow down, saying small children were on board, but the driver kept speeding until reaching Limpopo, where he took a bend so dangerously that it stunned everyone into silence.
Suweni, who was travelling to see his wife and three children he had not seen for four years, said he had been sending money home from his work on a farm to cover school fees.
He was scheduled to disembark in Harare and catch a connecting bus to Blantyre.
He added that the bus and trailer had already been overloaded when it left Gqeberha, with some people even refusing to board in East London.
Suweni said the crash in Limpopo occurred after the driver lost control of the bus. He said:
“It got off the road and he battled to steer it back because the overloaded trailer was making it difficult for the bus to stay on the road.
“Before the bus overturned, a lot of screaming and children crying filled the bus.”
Suweni said everything went dark and he only woke up later in an ambulance.
Having not been home for four years, he had bought his wife and children cellphones, shoes, and clothes, all of which were lost in the crash.
He has since decided to remain in Blantyre with his family and will not be returning to South Africa.
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