President Emmerson Mnangagwa and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have mourned the 43 people who died when a Harare-bound bus overturned near Makhado in Limpopo, about 100km from the Beitbridge Border Post. The accident occurred when the overloaded bus veered off the N1 Highway and plunged into an embankment.

Mnangagwa expressed shock and grief over the deaths of the victims from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and other SADC nations. He called for harmonized road traffic laws and stronger regional collaboration to prevent such tragedies. Ramaphosa described the crash as a tragedy for South Africa and its neighbors, urging safer road use. The bus, which had 91 passengers, left Port Elizabeth and picked up more travellers along the way, some not listed on the manifest.

Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to South Africa, David Hamadziripi, and other officials from both countries visited the crash site and hospitals treating the 49 injured survivors. Investigations by the Road Traffic Management Corporation were underway, while both governments pledged assistance with repatriation and support for the bereaved families.