Municipal traffic officers from Louis Trichardt this week put an end to what they termed a "death trap journey" when they impounded a Zimbabwean bus full of passengers just outside of town en route to Johannesburg.

Supt Jan Zitha, local traffic chief, told of how he received a call from his director, Mr Peter Magwala, about a "smoking" bus which nearly caused an accident on the N1 near the Mountain View Hotel.

Acting on the information, Supt Zitha and another traffic officer, Mr Job Munyai, intercepted and stopped the bus.

"The bus was clearly unroadworthy," said Supt Zitha and ordered the bus to be impounded at the municipal testing station.

Apart from excessive smoke billowing from the exhaust, the bus had numerous oils leaks, a missing diesel tank cap and worn tyres, some with no tread left on them. Further tests revealed that the bus had little or no brakes and was top heavy from being overloaded.

Supt Zitha told the bus driver, as well as the passengers, that the bus would not be allowed to travel any further and that it could only be removed to a place of repair. The driver of the bus was also issued a ticket for driving an unroadworthy vehicle.

Supt Zitha afterwards said that these vehicles cannot be allowed on the road, as they not only cause a danger to the passengers, but also to other road users.