Ten Zimbabweans were killed, while 30 others were injured, six of them seriously, when the driver of a cross-border bus they were traveling in lost control of the heavy vehicle, resulting in its veering off the road and overturning along the NI highway, outside Polokwane.

The police spokesperson for Limpopo, Capt Mohlaka Mashiyane, confirmed the incident, saying it occurred on Monday at around 02:45, about 15km outside Polokwane.

The bus, belonging to Gig Sparrows Company of Zimbabwe, was travelling from Harare and heading towards Johannesburg in Gauteng with 57 people onboard. “I can confirm that 10 Zimbabwean travelers, seven women and 3 men, were killed on the spot, while 30 others were injured. We suspect the accident was a result of fatigue, since the driver had travelled long hours at night, but we are still investigating,” Mashiyane said.

Mashiyane said the bodies of the accident victims were taken to the Polokwane government mortuary. He could not release the names of the deceased, saying they were yet inform their next of kin. “We are making efforts to contact the relatives of the deceased and the victims of the accident admitted to the hospitals. We are therefore appealing to anyone with information to contact Polokwane Police Station on 015290 6555,” he said.

Seventeen passengers escaped unhurt and they are at the moment receiving trauma counseling at Polokwane Police Station.

The spokesperson for the Department of Health in Limpopo, Miss Sophie Sekole, confirmed that six people who were seriously injured were still in the Polokwane Government Hospital.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson in Limpopo’s Department of Transport, Mr Boiki Tsedu, said his department had since launched an inquiry into the accident. He urged motorists, however, to adhere to the stipulated traffic rules and road regulations to avoid the recurrence of such incidents.

The incident comes barely a month after six other Zimbabweans were killed in an accident that occurred along the same highway, about 3km outside Louis Trichardt.