Limpopo horror crash: ‘Police at roadblocks must take these things seriously’ - OUTA

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of roadblocks in preventing tragedies like the N1 bus crash.

A bus travelling from Gqeberha to Malawi and Zimbabwe tumbled down an embankment on the N1 on 12 October, killing at least 42 people.

The bus 61-seater bus was allegedly carrying 91 passengers at the time of the crash.

Investigations are underway into the cause of the crash.

The minister of transport has confirmed that the vehicle would have passed a number of roadblocks during the journey from Eastern Cape.

Wayne Duvenhage, OUTA CEO, says that if the vehicle was as overloaded as the reports suggest, the bus should have been pulled over at a road back and not allowed to continue.

The driver and operating company would have been heavily fined, and additional busses would have been called to collect the passengers.

However, he says there is a systemic issue with roadblocks not taking these violations seriously.

“There are no consequences until the police at the roadblocks take their job seriously,” Duvenhage argues.

To listen to OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenhage in conversation with John Perlman on 702s Afternoon Drive, click the audio player for more: