Schoolchild among 11 dead in minibus crash

At least 11 people, including a schoolchild, have tragically lost their lives in a horrific collision between a minibus taxi and a truck in South Africa.

The incident on Thursday comes just over a week after a similar road crash claimed the lives of 14 schoolchildren.

The latest fatal accident occurred near the city of Durban in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.

Siboniso Duma, a provincial transport department official, said that 11 people, among them a schoolchild, died at the scene, though he said that this was based on preliminary information.

"Witnesses have alleged that the truck driver made a U-turn resulting in a head-on collision," Mr Duma stated.

Garrith Jamieson, spokesperson for the private paramedic service ALS Paramedics, confirmed the death toll of 11 and reported that several people sustained critical injuries.

This included the driver of the minibus, who was found trapped within the wreckage.

This tragic event marks the second deadly head-on crash involving a minibus taxi and a truck in a short period, following an incident days earlier where a minibus transporting schoolchildren was involved.

The driver of the minibus involved in that crash near Johannesburg on 19 January was arrested and charged with 14 counts of murder after authorities alleged he was driving recklessly by overtaking a line of vehicles before crashing into the truck.

The 22-year-old driver was initially charged with an offense comparable to manslaughter, but the charges were upgraded to murder, according to state prosecutors.

Minibus taxis are the preferred method of public transport for most South Africans to get to and from work, with estimates that they are used by approximately 70 per cent of commuters.

South Africa has a bad road safety record, which the government is trying to address.

Last year the country recorded 11,418 road deaths, according to data released last week, about 6 per cent lower than 2024's number.

The transport ministry says reckless driving including speeding and drink-driving are among the major causes of road deaths.

Last week Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said it was time to change the law to scrap the current legal alcohol limit when driving in favour of a zero-tolerance approach.