Nine ANC supporters have been killed and many others were left injured when a bus they were travelling in was lost control and overturned near Dumbe Dam outside Paulpietersburg in KwaZulu Natal in the early hours of this morning. The supporters were travelling back to Mpumalanga after attending the ruling party's election manifesto launch at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban yesterday.
THE PARTY IN MOURNING
The ruling party confirmed the deaths of their supporters in a statement. " We have received with profound shock the news of the untimely passing of our members from Mpumalanga Province. Tragically, our comrades were involved in a bus accident in Dumbe, KwaZulu-Natal, in the early hours of the morning while returning from the ANC's highly successful launch of our elections manifesto - Mayihlome Rally 2024. There are
reports of several fatalities and a number of comrades in critical condition," spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said. Bhengu-Motsiri also said that the party's KZN and Mpumalanga provincial leadership are en route to the accident scene and hospitals where they will assess the situation, visit the injured comrades and meet with the families affected. "It is a true tragedy that there be such a loss of lives after such a memorable day. Their selflessness and commitment to building a better future for generations to come will forever be remembered. We send our heart-felt condolences to the families of the departed comrades, their relatives, and friends. We also wish those injured a speedy recovery. Further updates will be issued during the course of today," she said.
SECON FATAL ACCIDENT AFTER ANC RALLY
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said police and various emergency services are at the scene of the accident on the R33 between Vryheid and Paulpietersburg. "According to a preliminary report, the bus was coming from the Moses Mabhinda Stadium when it overturned. Eight people died on the scene while the 9th victim died in hospital and scores injured. Those that are injured have been taken to various hospitals in the area for medical care," Mathe said. This is the second accident to happen after ANC rally to claim lives. On 13 January during the party's 112 birthday rally in Mbombela, six people died in a bus accident while travelling from Botlokwa in Limpopo to Mbombela. At the time, the department of Transport and Community safety in Limpopo said three buses were following each other when the third bus hit the second one from behind and overturned and rolled into a gorge around 3:30 am on the R71 outside Tzaneen. President Cyril Ramaphosa said at the time that the leadership of the ANC across all levels have been with the affected families from the moment the accident happened. "My visit has demonstrated that the ANC, which enjoys massive support in Limpopo, is indeed a responsive and caring organisation. We thank hospital management across the various hospitals for the speedy and efficacious manner in which they responded to this calamity," Ramaphosa said last month.
