By Everson Luhanga
- Passengers claim that, like every other day, the bus was overloaded and speeding.
- Standing passengers had a better chance of surviving than the 65 seated passengers who had no seatbelts.
Trapped victims of the horror bus crash in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, were heard crying for help.
This is the experience of two young people who will live to tell the story of how they survived without a scratch.
Philasande Phakathi, 19, from Spruit near Katlehong, told Scrolla.Africa that this was the fourth time he had used the bus to go to work.
He said he believed he survived the horror crash because he was standing. “Most of the victims were people who were seated. When the bus rolled, they were thrown out, and the bus rolled over them,” he said.
He said the bus had failed to brake and hit the steel barrier before rolling over.
At the time of the crash, some people were sleeping in their seats because they had woken up early to secure a seat on the bus.
“Most of us who were standing were people who woke up and found the seats were already full,” said Philasande.
His account is in sharp contrast to the claim by officials from Ekurhuleni Metro, who said the bus was not overloaded.
Another survivor, Steven Botile from Germiston, said he was also standing in the bus when the incident happened.
He said that after the bus came to a halt, his right leg was trapped by a broken seat.
“I held onto the steel pole in the bus as it rolled.
“When I finally walked out of the bus through the roof, I heard another person, whom I personally knew, screaming for help: ‘Please help. Please pull me out of the bus.’”
Steven said that although he could see his colleague was in serious pain, there was nothing he could do, as the heavy wreck of the bus trapped him underneath.
He reiterated Philasande’s sentiment that the bus was always overloaded and always had passengers standing in the passage.
He said the bus usually left the depot just after 4 o’clock in the morning.
It is still unclear how many people boarded the bus.
Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza said he would not speculate on several allegations, including that the bus was overloaded and that the driver may have been speeding.
The mayor insisted that the buses are regularly inspected, checked, and serviced. “At the moment, we are doing everything to assist those who are affected by this incident,” he said.
Road Traffic Management Corporation spokesperson Simon Zwane said preliminary reports suggest that the bus and another unidentified light vehicle were travelling in the third lane (from the right) of the R21.
“It is alleged that the light motor vehicle suddenly applied brakes after missing the off-ramp exit lane.
“In an attempt to avoid a collision, the bus driver also braked and swerved, resulting in the bus losing control, rotating clockwise, overturning, and coming to rest in the off-ramp lane, facing where it was coming from (south).
“The crash claimed sixteen lives – twelve fatalities at the scene and four in hospital,” said Zwane.
Pictured above: Some of the victims’ belongings at the bus crash on the R21 in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, on Tuesday morning.
Image source: Everson Luhanga
