Quick Read
- 11 people, including a schoolchild, died in a collision between a minibus taxi and a truck near Durban, South Africa, on January 29, 2026.
- The crash occurred just over a week after a similar incident near Johannesburg killed 14 schoolchildren.
- Preliminary investigations indicate the truck had worn-out tires and the taxi driver’s professional license expired in 2023.
- Witnesses alleged the truck driver made a U-turn, leading to a head-on collision.
- South African Transport Minister Barbara Creecy ordered an urgent investigation by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).
JOHANNESBURG (Azat TV) – A devastating collision involving a minibus taxi and a truck near the South African city of Durban on Thursday, January 29, 2026, has claimed the lives of at least 11 people, including one schoolchild. The tragedy, which also left several individuals critically injured, has reignited urgent concerns over public transport safety in the nation, coming just over a week after a separate crash near Johannesburg killed 14 schoolchildren.
The latest fatal incident occurred in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province. According to Siboniso Duma, a provincial transport department official, preliminary information indicates that 11 people died at the scene. Among the critically injured was the minibus driver, who was extracted from the wreckage and is now receiving urgent medical care at a nearby hospital under police guard. The truck driver also survived and is under police guard, with some eight others sustaining serious injuries.
Deadly Collision Near Durban Sparks Outcry
Witnesses at the scene of the Durban crash alleged that the truck driver made a U-turn, leading to a head-on collision, as stated by provincial transport department official Siboniso Duma. The impact was severe, resulting in immediate fatalities and trapping the minibus driver. Garrith Jamieson, spokesperson for ALS Paramedics, confirmed the death toll and the critical condition of several survivors.
Initial inspections by law enforcement officers have uncovered critical safety violations. Duma reported that the truck was operating illegally with worn-out tires, a clear breach of road safety regulations. Furthermore, the professional license required for the minibus taxi driver to operate public transportation in South Africa had expired in 2023. Local media also reported that the taxi was believed to have been overloaded at the time of the crash. The provincial transport department is advocating for both the taxi and truck drivers to be charged with multiple murders, given the severity and alleged negligence involved.
Prior Tragedy in Johannesburg Looms Large
This recent disaster follows closely on the heels of another horrific head-on collision on January 19 near Johannesburg, where a minibus taxi transporting schoolchildren collided with a truck, killing 14 children. The driver of that minibus, a 22-year-old, was initially charged with an offense comparable to manslaughter, but prosecutors later upgraded these to 14 counts of murder. Authorities alleged he was driving recklessly, overtaking a line of vehicles before the fatal impact. The recurrence of such high-fatality incidents involving public transport vehicles has cast a pall over the nation and intensified calls for accountability and stricter enforcement of road safety.
Official Response and Broader Road Safety Concerns
South African Transport Minister Barbara Creecy expressed “serious concerns” about the continuous rise in traffic fatalities, particularly those involving public transportation. She has instructed the country’s Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), responsible for road traffic regulation and enforcement, to collaborate with local authorities in investigating the cause of the latest collision. A preliminary investigation report from the RTMC is expected within 48 hours of its inquiry beginning.
President Cyril Ramaphosa conveyed his grief over the incident, emphasizing that children are the nation’s most precious assets. He affirmed that both national and provincial authorities would provide psychological and emotional assistance to affected families and schools. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube also voiced profound concern regarding the safety of school transport, noting that many crashes involving student vehicles are attributable to driver error.
Minibus taxis serve as the primary mode of public transport for approximately 70% of South African commuters, highlighting the widespread reliance on a system now under intense scrutiny. The African continent, in general, faces significant road safety challenges, accounting for about a quarter of the global toll with approximately 300,000 annual fatalities. The U.N. Economic Commission for Africa reports that Africa has the world’s highest road traffic fatality rate at 26.6 deaths per 100,000 people, significantly higher than the global average of about 18, despite having only about 3% of the world’s vehicle population.
The rapid succession of these two high-fatality public transport crashes underscores a critical systemic issue within South Africa’s road safety framework, revealing not just individual negligence but potential gaps in regulatory oversight and enforcement that demand immediate and comprehensive intervention to protect commuters.