FINDINGS OF THE RTMC INVESTIGATION INTO THE LIMPOPO BUS CRASH PRETORIA

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA 

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

FINDINGS OF THE RTMC INVESTIGATION INTO THE LIMPOPO BUS CRASH PRETORIA

The Minister of Transport, Ms. Barbara Creecy and the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mr. Mkhuleko Hlengwa, have officially received a preliminary report regarding a bus crash following an investigation by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC). The crash led to a tragic loss of 43 lives and scores of passengers injured on Sunday 12 October 2025 on the N1 North, Limpopo. 

The investigation by the RTMC has led to the following findings: SPEEDING AND UNROADWORTHINESS That a major contributing factor to the cause of the bus crash was the driver of the bus who drove at a speed too high for the conditions down the mountain pass. During the mechanical investigation, it was also established that the bus and trailer only had five (5) out of the ten (10) brakes in operational condition and that one (1) brake on the bus had no braking ability. 

It was established that out of five (5) brakes on the bus one (1) brake on was not in an operational condition. None of the four (4) brakes on the trailer had been in any operational condition and the suspension had also been poorly repaired. 

This means that the bus and trailer only had half of its braking capacity as the other half had not been operational for a long time. Therefore, the bus and trailer were not in a roadworthy condition by virtue of the defective braking system and the poorly repaired suspension of the trailer. 

This means that the driver of the bus and trailer was aware of this braking deficiency and had adapted his driving style to accommodate this defect. 

OVERLOADING 

The investigation established that the bus has a seating capacity to accommodate sixty-two (62) persons, however there were ninety-one (91) occupants in the bus at the time of the crash. 

There were eleven (11) children between the ages of three (3) to five (5) years old and if Regulation 231 of the National Road Traffic Regulation 2000 is applied then two (2) children between the ages of three (3) to six (6) years old shall be counted as one (1) person. This implies that at the time, the vehicle was overloaded by twenty-three (23) persons. It has been established that the trailer attached to this Bus was loaded with baggage and personal belongings. 

FATALITIES AND INJURIES 

It has been ascertained that forty-three (43) occupants within the Bus sustained fatal injuries as a result of this crash. Thirty-four (34) occupants sustained serious injuries and a further six (6) occupants sustained slight injuries.  

Eight (8) occupants were recorded at the crash scene by first responders and refused any form of medical treatment. They had subsequently left the crash scene and none of their details were recorded. 

WEATHER CONDITIONS AND ROAD SURFACE 

The report indicates that the weather conditions at the time of the road crash were day light and clear with good visibility and is not considered a cause and/or contributory factor to this road crash. 

The road surface along the N1 before and after the crash scene was noted as being in good condition and therefore not considered a cause and/or contributory factor to this road crash. The road markings on the N1 are in good condition and have good reflectivity and are not considered a cause and/or contributory factor to this road crash. 

There is sufficient signage along the roadway on approach to the downhill to warn drivers to prepare to negotiate the roadway. BUS ROUTE The bus had travelled from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape enroute to Harare in Zimbabwe and that there were passengers from Malawi, Congo and Zimbabwe on board. 

RECOMANDATIONS 

The preliminary report has recommended the following: That law enforcement operations be considered to examine and evaluate the roadworthiness of vehicles that enter South Africa roads as the bus is a foreign registered vehicle. Such inspection could have detected the unroadworthy condition of the bus and the trailer and this crash might not have occurred. 

That RTMC's National Traffic Police together with their provincial counterparts concentrate their attention on heavy vehicles that do not adhere to warning signs and  do not reduce speed when driving downhill as it is evident that the bus and trailer drove at a speed too fast for the road environment and failed to negotiate the hairpin bend. 

That law enforcement operations be considered to examine and evaluate the loads of vehicles as the bus and trailer were heavily overloaded at the time of the crash. 

FINAL TECHNICAL RECONSTRUCTION REPORT 

The RTMC investigation is still ongoing and it will take 21 weeks to complete the final technical reconstruction report. The investigation will also look at what happened at the weigh bridges where the issue of overloading was supposed to have been detected. 

MINISTER’s DIRECTIVE TO RTMC 

MInister Creecy has directed the RTMC to do the following; Investigate the bus company's responsibility in ensuring the roadworthiness of the bus and to further consider a culpable homicide complaint against the bus company in terms of the duties of the operator. 

Request the maintenance schedule and service records of this specific bus and to work with the Anti-Corruption Unit to establish which road testing center issued a roadworthy certificate for the bus and establish if there are any DNC Coach Depots in SA to look at their fleet roadworthy status.

Liaise with Provincial Law Enforcement Authorities to ensure a compulsory roadworthy inspection specifically focussing on the DNC Coach Fleet coming through SA Border Post. 

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GDE DISPELS FALSE “HUNGER STALKS GAUTENG PUPILS” CLAIMS

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ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA  

GDE DISPELS FALSE “HUNGER STALKS GAUTENG PUPILS” CLAIMS

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) notes with concern the misleading and alarmist headline published by a national publication, titled “Hunger Stalks Gauteng Pupils.” This claim is factually incorrect and has caused unnecessary alarm among the public and school communities. It is unfortunate that the publication chose to ignore the detailed official response by the Department on this specific matter and selectively used minimal information while disregarding some facts shared by the Department prior to publishing. 

To set the record straight, the matter relates specifically to one service provider operating under the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni. 

The Department became aware on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, that this service provider refused to accept a newly allocated delivery schedule and consequently failed to deliver food to nine (9) schools, and attempted to deliver food at schools not allocated to the said service provider.  It must be noted that a meeting was scheduled on Thursday, 9 October 2025, where delivery schedules were discussed with all service providers and shared accordingly. 

A majority of service providers started with their deliveries on Friday, 10 October 2025, which continued over the weekend before the start of Term 4. We can confirm that some service providers continued to augment their deliveries throughout the week. As a contingency, we have today on Thursday, 16 October 2025, utilised other service providers to deliver food to all nine affected schools in Tembisa and Ivory Park. Irrespective of this unfortunate delay, all deserving children were served a meal accordingly.  

OVER 150 000 ONLINE ADMISSIONS PLACEMENT OFFERS SENT TO PARENTS ON FIRST DAY 

The Placement Period for the 2026 Online Admissions for Grade 1 and Grade 8 commenced on Thursday, 16 October 2025, with 150 548 placement offers sent to parents and guardians with Complete Applications by 10h00 this morning.  Placement offers will continue to be sent to parents & guardians via SMS throughout the remainder of the year until all learners are placed. Parents are reminded to log on to www.gdeadmissions.gov.za within 7 days of receiving a placement offer to accept the placement as final, which confirms the learner at that school, or accept the placement while awaiting other offers. 

Placement offers accepted as final cannot be reversed. For enquiries, the GDE Contact Centre is operating extended hours: - Monday to Thursday: 07h00 – 17h00 - ⁠ Friday: 07h30 – 16h30  - ⁠ Saturday: 09h00 – 13h00 Contact us on: - Toll-free: 0800 000 789 - ⁠ WhatsApp: 060 891 0361 - ⁠ Email: gdeinfo@gauteng.gov.za 

TRAGIC LOSS OF TWO LEARNERS IN RIVERLEA SHOOTING INCIDENT 

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of two Grade 8 learners from Riverlea Secondary School in Johannesburg, who were fatally shot on Wednesday, 15 October 2025. This heartbreaking incident has sent shockwaves through the school community, leaving families, friends, educators, and fellow learners devastated by the loss of such young lives. 

The Department extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and the entire school community during this profoundly difficult time.

In response, a Psychosocial Support Team has been dispatched to the affected school to provide immediate trauma counselling and emotional support to learners, educators, and staff members. “The Department condemns all forms of violence and criminal activity that threaten the safety and wellbeing of learners in our communities. This tragic event underscores the urgent need for collective action to curb gun violence and safeguard our children’s right to learn and grow in safe environments. 

We wish to convey our condolences to the families and the school community,” said Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane. 

GDE PROVIDES CLARITY ON INFRASTRUCTURE CONCERNS AT WEDELA TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL 

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) wishes to confirm that over the past five financial years, a total of R1.32 million was allocated to maintenance, at Wedela Technical School. Accordngly, a number of projects were also completed at the school. 

These include the replacement of a stolen fence with a brick wall, repair of windowpanes and ceramic tiles, roof painting, installation of paving and floor drainage systems in the workshops, and sealing and painting of workshop roofs, internal walls, epoxy floors, hand wash basins, and office ceilings. 

The total expenditure on these completed projects was R2.43 million. To address recurring electricity and water challenges, the Department assessed infrastructure needs, requested a new transformer, installed a standby generator - which was later sadly vandalised - and provided water storage tanks. In the interim, clean drinking water has been supplied through water tankers. 

Frequent burglaries and vandalism continue to hamper infrastructure sustainability. Despite these challenges, practical lessons continue with the use of a standby generator to operate machinery, such as lathes and welders. The Department estimates that restoring Wedela Technical High School to a fully functional and safe condition will cost R7.98 million, covering civil works such as water storage tanks and booster pumps, plumbing works including replacement of vandalised pipes, sanitary fittings, drinking fountains, doors, and toilet painting, replacement of the vandalised fence, and electrical works including a new 500kVA mini-sub transformer, circuit breakers, solar flood lights, light fittings, cables and wiring, switches, and plugs. 

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Premier Lesufi wishes the Matric Class of 2025 well in the upcoming final exams

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA 

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

Premier Lesufi wishes the Matric Class of 2025 well in the  upcoming final exams  

Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has extended his best wishes to the  Class of 2025 as they prepare to sit for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, which officially commence on Tuesday, 21 October 2025.  Gauteng has consistently maintained its position among the top three performing provinces in the NSC examinations. 

In 2024, the province achieved an impressive 88.4% pass rate, placing it third nationally behind the Free State (91%) and KwaZulu-Natal (89.5%).  This year, a total of 188,057 candidates have registered to write the NSC exams in Gauteng, (144,315 full-time and 43,742 part-time learners). The examinations will take place at 1,007 centres across the province (741 public schools, 267 independent schools, and 25 designated centres).  

Throughout the year, the Gauteng Provincial Government has worked tirelessly to support and prepare the matriculants for success. All parents and guardians are called upon to support the learners throughout the exam period.  

Systems have also been put in place to mitigate potential disruptions, such as service delivery protests and operational challenges, ensuring that all learners can write their exams under safe and conducive conditions.  “On behalf of the Gauteng Provincial Government, I wish the Class of 2025 all the best in their upcoming final examinations. May your hard work and dedication throughout the year bear fruit as you prepare for these exams, which mark the culmination of your basic education,” said Premier Lesufi.  

The Gauteng Provincial Government remains confident that the Class of 2025 will continue the province’s proud tradition of academic excellence and resilience.  

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NATIONAL DIALOGUE ENTERS NEXT PHASE TOWARDS APPOINTMENT OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA 

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

NATIONAL DIALOGUE ENTERS NEXT PHASE TOWARDS APPOINTMENT OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE

The National Dialogue process has reached a pivotal stage with the completion of the nomination of sectoral representatives to the National Dialogue Steering Committee. 

The first National Convention held on 15-16 August 2025 approved the mandate, responsibilities and composition of the Steering Committee, and agreed that each of the identified sectors would hold consultations to decide on nominees to serve on the Steering Committee and its sub-committees.

No less than 26 sectors have to date submitted nominations for the Steering Committee.

The list of nominated Steering Committee members has been handed over to the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) for quality assurance. For its part, the EPG will submit its recommendations to the President in his role as head of state and convener of the National Dialogue for finalisation.

Once approved by the President, the Steering Committee will coordinate the roll out of public dialogues across the country.

It is anticipated that the process of appointing the Steering Committee will be concluded in the coming weeks.

President Ramaphosa has received the Handover Report of the Convention Organising Committee (COC) and the Report on the National Convention, bringing to an end the mandate of the COC.

The Convention Organising Committee was tasked by the President with organising the first National Convention following the withdrawal of some foundations from the process.

President Ramaphosa said: “As a country, we owe a great debt of gratitude to the members of the Convention Organising Committee. Working with the Eminent Persons Group and the Inter-Ministerial Committee, the committee made sure that hundreds of delegates from around the country were able to gather at the National Convention to endorse and to launch the National Dialogue. Through a truly collective effort, the National Convention proceeding smoothly and gave people from all sectors an opportunity to express themselves.”

“We must also recognise the vital role played by the legacy foundations and other civil society organisations in the Preparatory Task Team, which were instrumental in getting the National Dialogue off the ground.”

“It is extremely important now that the momentum that has been built up and the expectations that have been raised are not allowed to dissipate. We need to ensure that as the Steering Committee is established, there is no disruption in the processes that need to happen,” he said.

The Eminent Persons Group (EPG), the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) and the Presidency remain custodians of the process’s integrity and will continue to safeguard its credibility until it is handed over to the Steering Committee. 

Work is underway to establish a fully-fledged National Dialogue Secretariat, housed at NEDLAC, which will provide institutional support to the process. 

The Report of the National Convention is available for download: https://tinyurl.com/4v7z7rfu

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MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA 

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA

SARS Welcomes Judgment on Mr Lucky Montana

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) welcomes the favourable judgment handed down on 17 October 2025 by the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng (case no. 2023-047735). This decision came as a result of an application brought by SARS for the sequestration of Mr Tshepo Lucky Montana.

On 5 June 2024, Mr Montana filed a notice of motion and founding affidavit seeking condonation for the late submission of his answering affidavit in the sequestration proceedings. Subsequently, on 14 August 2024, SARS brought an application to strike out, in terms of Rule 6(5) of the Uniform Rules of Court, on the basis that Mr Montana’s founding affidavit contained scandalous, vexatious, and irrelevant allegations.

On 21 July 2025, the Court granted SARS’s application to strike out and dismissed Mr Montana’s condonation application with costs. Mr Montana thereafter filed an application for leave to appeal against this judgment. The matter was heard on 17 October 2025 and the application for leave to appeal was dismissed with costs.

SARS’s strategic intent is to foster a culture of voluntary compliance. To this end, the organisation provides clarity and certainty to taxpayers regarding their legal obligations and continues to make it easy and seamless to comply through modern, enabling digital platforms. Conversely, SARS ensures that non-compliance becomes hard and costly for those who wilfully choose to disregard their tax responsibilities.

Commenting on the matter, SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter stated:
“SARS recognises that the vast majority of taxpayers are honest and willing to do the right thing by meeting their registration, filing, and payment obligations. Pursuant to SARS’ mandate of collecting all the revenue due to the fiscus, we will do whatever is legally permissible to deliver on that undertaking. In doing so, SARS will always uphold and respect the right of taxpayers to explore and exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights to approach courts to seek a whatever remedy they prefer. SARS believes that all South Africans are equal before the law, and the organisation is enjoined by the law to enforce its provisions without fear, favour, or prejudice.”

SARS will not provide any further comment on this matter.

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Sol Plaatje Municipal Manager Suspension and Secondment

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA 

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

Sol Plaatje Municipal Manager Suspension and Secondment

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will report our strong opposition on the secondment of convicted fraudster, Busisiwe Mgaguli, to the position of acting Municipal Manager of Sol Plaatje, to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, for investigation.

This comes after the Speaker, Dipuo Peters, claimed that our request for a Special Council Meeting to deliberate on this matter was technically incorrect. We strongly dispute this and believe that her denial of our request is an attempt by the ANC council members to avoid accountability and buy more time to facilitate their own political agenda.

The fact that Peters refuses to allow engagement on Mgaguli’s involvement in financial crimes, raises many questions. As does her failure to consider that the suspension of suspended Municipal Manager, Thapelo Matlala, comes to an end today. His suspension can also only be extended by holding a Special Council meeting before the day is over. Failure to do so will permit him to return to office tomorrow, despite investigations into the allegations against him likely not completed yet.

Given the grave nature of the ongoing saga regarding the municipal manager position, the serious repercussions for service delivery and the financial and legal implications for the municipality, this is a slap in the face of Kimberley residents.

DA provincial spokesperson on COGHSTA, Gizella Opperman, will submit our concerns to Hlabisa directly, given that MEC of COGHSTA, Bentley Vass, is responsible for the secondment. We want Hlabisa to consider the processes and the grounds for both Mgaguli’s secondment and Matlala’s suspension. The matter will also be raised in upcoming legislature portfolio committee meetings.

Sol Plaatje municipality is not an ANC fiefdom. There are rules and regulations and a multi-party council to whom this institution must account. Above all, there are also the citizens of Kimberley to whom Sol Plaatje has a constitutional mandate to deliver clean governance and service delivery.

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SAPS breakaway from SITA – Police Deputy Minister Dr. Boshiela confirms to the NCOP

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ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA 

SAPS breakaway from SITA – Police Deputy Minister Dr. Boshiela confirms to the NCOP

The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes the confirmation by Deputy Minister of Police, Dr Polly Boshiela, to the National Council of Provinces - Select Committee on Security and Justice, that the South African Police Service (SAPS) has “officially served its divorce papers” to the State Information Technology Agency (SITA).

In a revelation made before the Select Committee yesterday, the Deputy Minister disclosed that SAPS will no longer be bound by SITA’s outdated systems, which have for years crippled technological innovation and slowed police responsiveness. The Deputy. Minister further confirmed that the Minister of Finance has approved SAPS’s request to procure a new independent service provider for its ICT systems.

The DA has long maintained that SITA has become a digital bottleneck, a stumbling block to modern governance that has left departments like SAPS and Home Affairs trapped in inefficiency, corruption, and technological decay.

This confirmation is a victory not just for the DA’s consistent oversight efforts, but more importantly, for the millions of South Africans who rely on functional, tech-enabled police stations for their safety and security.

The Deputy Minister also revealed that she was part of the recent official delegation to China, where she was introduced to cutting-edge police technology systems. These innovations, including smart surveillance, integrated case-tracking, and data-driven policing models, highlight the urgent need for South Africa to embrace next-generation digital policing tools to strengthen investigations, accelerate case turnaround times, and improve community safety outcomes.

The DA now calls on the Minister of Police to ensure that this transition to a new ICT provider is transparent, corruption-free, and prioritises service delivery over political patronage, and will pose written questions to the Minister to ensure that transparency is kept.

This move must translate into practical upgrades at the station level from rural KwaZulu-Natal to the Free State and Eastern Cape, where communities have suffered most, due to outdated systems, broken communication tools, and unreliable databases.

This can be a turning point for South African policing. It comes at a time when SAPS has an opportunity to press the reset button.

The DA will continue to use our parliamentary oversight role to monitor the implementation of this decision, ensuring that the separation from SITA leads to real improvements in frontline policing, not just another costly government restructuring exercise.

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