Six people were injured in a head-on collision between two Phadziri buses at Ha-Ramantsha last Friday morning. Several others survived with no injuries.

It was extremely misty when two Phadziri buses plunged into each other at a sharp curve on the gravel road to Ha-Ramantsha Village, shortly after 07:00.

Mirror learnt that one of the buses was coming from the Sinthumule/Kutama main road, en route to the Louis Trichardt Air Force Base and it had 19 people on board. The other bus was coming from the village, with only three passengers.

When the two buses crashed head-on, the roof of the bus en route to the Air Force base was totally stripped off. One of the survivors who works at the Air Force Base, Mr Muvhulawa Malindi, said he never expected the deadly collision to occur, but he strongly believed that it had been caused by mist. "All I can say is that God is great, because He saved us from death or serious injuries," he said. "I only heard a bang when the other bus crushed into our bus. I could not see, because I was seated at the back, as it was very cold," said Malindi.

From his hospital bed, the driver of the bus which was on its way to the Air Force Base, Mr Nyambeni Christopher Ramashidzha (39), said: "I have been driving since 1990 and this is the first time I have been involved in an accident. I saw the other bus coming at high speed. I tried to swerve but, unfortunately, it was too late. I just heard a loud bang, and moments later, I found myself lying on the ground with the roof of my bus draped on top of that other bus," he said.

The driver of the other bus, Mr Peter Thabeli, said that the lights of the other bus were off and it was misty. "By the time I saw the yellow line shining, the other bus was too close and it was too late to apply the brakes," he said.

Mr Osmond Munzhelele of the Disaster Management Unit at the local municipality said the municipality is going to embark on a campaign for all the drivers in the area and he expected the campaign to be effective to reduce the number of accidents in the area

When Mirror arrived at the Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital, a few hours after the injured had been admitted, the two drivers were receiving medical treatment and they were both in a stable condition, while the other injured were basking in the sun, waiting to be treated for their minor injuries.

On behalf of Phadziri Bus Company, Mr Doctor Phadziri said that the continued spate of bus crashes was giving him a headache. "We are often deeply concerned when the lives of our commuters are lost during these fatal accidents. However, with regard to the present accident, I am not in any position to give you a comment, as we are still going to conduct our own investigation," he said.

Last month, a bakkie crashed underneath a Phadziri bus at Ha-Manabela and four people died instantly. A week ago, three people died when their vehicle collided head-on with another Phadziri bus at Tshiozwi.