Over 40 killed in N1 bus tragedy

President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended his condolences to Zimbabwe and Malawi following the tragic N1 bus crash, that claimed more than 40 lives.

The bus, which was travelling from Gqeberha to Harare, reportedly lost control near Makhado in Limpopo and plunged into a ditch yesterday.

Among the victims are seven children, 17 men and 18 women, while more than 30 passengers remain in hospital.

Ramaphosa described the incident as a tragedy for South Africa and its sister nations, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

“This sadness is compounded by the fact that this incident has taken place during our annual Transport Month, where we place a special focus on the importance of safety on our roads.”

The Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), Dr Michael Masiapato, also extended his condolences to the bereaved families.

He says the heartbreaking incident occurred along one of our country’s busiest cross-border corridors linking South Africa with the rest of the SADC region.

“It serves as a painful reminder of the human cost of unsafe travel conditions on long-distance routes and the urgent need to strengthen the safety and security of all people who traverse our borders in search of opportunity, connection and hope.”

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) says it has deployed a team of crash investigators to perform technical investigations to establish the real cause of a major bus crash.

RTMC to probe bus crash that claimed 42 lives in Limpopohttps://t.co/oM0rGZV6sx#ArriveAlive #BusCrash @TrafficRTMC @Dotransport @TransportLimCom pic.twitter.com/ZXNQ4GHAdT

— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) October 13, 2025

Thoughts and prayers with the families of the 42 victims of the Limpopo Bus crash. It’s unfortunate lives are being lost because our people have to travel to far away places to get opportunities’ ITS a Tragedy pic.twitter.com/bQV6hzTAEn

— African (@ali_naka) October 13, 2025

Our deepest condolences go to the families of the 42 people who died in the Limpopo bus crash, including a 10 monthold baby. These were our brothers & sisters travelling from the Eastern Cape, S A to Zim & Malawi, driven by the need to seek survival far from home. We should not… pic.twitter.com/wmmAdPQUbR

— Pashor Raphael Sibanda (@pashor_sibanda) October 13, 2025