A tragic bus accident claimed the lives of 16 people, including at least three children, after a passenger bus overturned near Touws River in the Western Cape shortly after midnight on Thursday. The devastating crash has also left 35 people injured, including the driver, who were rushed to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.
According to authorities, the bus was carrying 73 passengers and was travelling from Cape Town to various destinations in the Eastern Cape. Many of those on board were holidaymakers returning home after spending time in the City of Cape Town.
The Western Cape Department of Mobility confirmed that emergency services responded swiftly to the scene following reports of the crash. Rescue teams worked through the night to assist survivors, recover those trapped inside the overturned vehicle, and transport the injured to hospitals.
Chief Director for Traffic Management in the provincial Mobility Department, Maxine Bezuidenhout, said preliminary information provided by the driver suggests that another vehicle may have contributed to the accident.
According to the driver’s account, he was travelling along the N1 highway towards Touws River when a vehicle allegedly emerged from a side road. In an attempt to avoid a collision, the driver reportedly swerved, causing the bus to lose control and overturn.
Officials confirmed that among the survivors receiving treatment is a child younger than two years old. The identities of those who lost their lives have not yet been released as authorities continue informing their families.
One of the passengers who survived the crash described the terrifying moments leading up to the accident. Speaking anonymously, the survivor said the journey had already been delayed before the bus departed.
He explained that he was originally scheduled to leave Bellville at around 7:30 pm, but passengers continued boarding at Kraaifontein until approximately 11:30 pm before the bus finally continued its journey.
The passenger recalled that he had started falling asleep when loud screams suddenly woke him. Moments later, he realised the bus had overturned onto its side.
He described being trapped inside the vehicle with other passengers pressed against one another as people cried out for help. He said he could feel his arm touching the ground while pinned inside the bus, highlighting the frightening conditions survivors endured before emergency responders arrived.
Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the Western Cape has extended its condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died in the crash.
The federation has called on law enforcement agencies and the Department of Transport to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
COSATU said investigators should examine every possible contributing factor, including the condition of the road, the mechanical fitness of the bus, and whether driver fatigue may have played any role in the tragedy. The organisation stressed that identifying the exact cause is essential to preventing similar incidents in the future.
Authorities have confirmed that investigations into the fatal crash are ongoing. More information is expected to be released once officials complete their preliminary assessment and notify the families of all those affected.
ActionSA has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet adjustments, saying the Government of National Unity is “out of ideas” and warning against a bloated executive structure and controversial ministerial appointments. Image: Social development department/ X
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s latest Cabinet adjustments have drawn criticism from ActionSA and labour federation COSATU over governance concerns, the size of the executive, and recent ministerial appointments.
The changes come after Ramaphosa removed three deputy ministers and reassigned DA leader John Steenhuisen in a Cabinet adjustment.
They follow a proposal from DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis to restructure the party’s representation in Cabinet, which Ramaphosa has approved.
Under the adjustments, Steenhuisen has been moved from Minister of Agriculture to Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.
He will be replaced as Agriculture Minister by Willie Aucamp, who previously served as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Three DA deputy ministers have also been removed from the executive, including Samantha Graham-Mare from Electricity and Energy, Sello Seitlholo from Water and Sanitation, and Mimmy Gondwe from Higher Education and Training.
ActionSA Parliamentary Leader Athol Trollip MP said the changes reflect deeper problems within the Government of National Unity (GNU).
“This is yet another example of papering over a Government of National Unity that is out of ideas,” Trollip said.
He said the administration was “lurching from one crisis to the next while clinging to a bloated executive of 75 Ministers and Deputy Ministers.”
Trollip strongly criticised the appointment of former minister Dina Pule as Minister of Social Development.
“The ANC is scraping the bottom of the barrel,” he said.
He pointed to her removal from Cabinet in 2013 following findings by Parliament’s Ethics Committee that she had breached the Executive Ethics Code, saying her return sent “a dangerous message” about accountability in government.
Trollip also criticised the appointment of DA leader John Steenhuisen as a Deputy Minister, saying it followed the handling of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease crisis, which he said had devastated farmers and cost the economy more than R13 billion.
He argued that Deputy Minister posts were being used to “cushion the fall of disgraced former ministers rather than serve the public.”
He further questioned the promotion of Willie Aucamp to Minister of Agriculture, citing concerns over his previous tenure as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, including issues related to captive lion hunting and breeding, delays to the Marion Island research programme, and management challenges at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.
Trollip added that the reshuffle did not address ongoing concerns involving other ministers.
“The Government of National Unity uses Cabinet as a vehicle for political patronage rather than good governance,” he said.
He said there was little appetite for accountability measures such as performance agreements and lifestyle audits, adding that ActionSA had introduced its Cabinet Reform Package, which includes the Enhanced Cut Cabinet Perks Bill and the 23rd Constitutional Amendment Bill aimed at reducing the size and cost of government.
Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said it noted the changes made to Cabinet by President Cyril Ramaphosa, describing them as adjustments largely affecting parties within the Government of National Unity rather than a full reshuffle.
COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator Matthew Parks said the federation was concerned that it had not been consulted on the changes, saying this was “deeply worrying” given workers’ stake in government leadership decisions.
“It is deeply worrying that COSATU, a long standing and loyal member of the Tripartite Alliance, was not consulted on these changes to Cabinet,” Parks said, adding that appointments must reflect competence and integrity.
Parks criticised the appointment of Dina Pule as Minister of Social Development, calling it “extremely worrying” in light of findings previously made by the Public Protector and Parliament’s Ethics Committee. He said the appointment risks distracting from efforts to rebuild public trust after state capture.
He also raised concern over repeated leadership changes at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, noting that the department is now on its third minister in two years, warning that instability undermines service delivery.
“It is important that the new members of the Executive hit the ground running. There will be no honeymoon,” Parks said, adding that ministers are facing high unemployment, weak economic growth, and rising levels of poverty, inequality, and crime. He said COSATU would support ministers who perform but hold those who fail accountable.
Newly appointed Social Development Minister Dina Pule. Image Credits : Facebook – Department of Social Development
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has expressed disappointment over the appointment of former Communications minister Dina Pule as the new minister of Social Development.
Pule was removed from her position during the tenure of Jacob Zuma after being found guilty of maladministration and improper conduct.
She was sworn in yesterday along with other new ministers following a cabinet reshuffle.
Pule fills the position left vacant after the dismissal of Sisisi Tolashe, who was facing allegations of undeclared gifts and irregular appointments in her department.
Cosatu Parliamentary Coordinator, Matthew Parks, says cabinet portfolios should be filled by leaders with integrity.
“One can argue that, look, that’s a decade ago, now people will be rehabilitated. But we don’t think that is the kind of quality of leadership we want to see in cabinet. We’re not saying she must be unemployed. She’s been at a backbencher; she’s been a chair of a portfolio committee. But we really want to have people with the highest integrity and credibility in cabinet, especially as society is correctly irritated after a decade plus of state capture and corruption. We want to see leaders who will inspire confidence in society and rebuild the trust of society in the state.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance says it rejects and condemns Pule’s appointment.
Business Unity South Africa have joined a chorus of concerns among trade unions in South Africa about the dysfunction and alleged governenace failures at the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Image: Supplied
Business Unity South Africa (Busa) has joined key trade unions in calling for the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Fund to be placed under administration or new management, citing rampant corruption and dysfunction.
Business Unity CEO Khulekani Mathe said the organisation has withdrawn from the UIF structures at Nedlac following six years of “sustained effort” to try to help reform the problems at the UIF, and he wants the fund to “urgently” be placed under administration to stabilise operations, clear claims backlogs, and address governance failures.
He also stated that a forensic investigation was needed at the UIF to assess the “legality and appropriateness” of all fund expenditures. “The current situation is unsustainable,” he said. Business Report questions to the Department of Employment and Labout were not answered at the time of going to press.
The latest concerns follow a call one month ago by four trade union bodies—Cosatu, the Federation of Unions of South Africa, the South African Federation of Trade Unions, and the National Council of Trade Unions—for President Ramaphosa to deploy the Hawks and Special Investigating Unit to the UIF to probe allegations of “systemic and serious corruption” at the UIF and the Compensation Fund.
Last month, the Groupdup publication also reported that thousands of unemployed South Africans had unknowingly submitted UIF claims through an outdated online system that accepts their applications but does not process them. The Department of Employment and Labour stated at the time that a new portal would be up and running by November.
Meanwhile, in April, a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling in the case of Van der Vyver Transport vs Minister of Labour and others, highlighted a state of dysfunction at the Compensation Fund and ruled that it required “an urgent, independent investigation.”
In addition, by 2025, the Compensation Fund has received disclaimer audits from the Auditor-General for no less than 12 consecutive years.
Mathe said the UIF remained characterised by “persistent operational failures, governance weaknesses, delays, unresponsiveness, and a drift away from its core mandate.”
“It is unacceptable that contributors are left without support while funds are redirected, delayed, or absorbed into programmes that do not directly address the statutory entitlements,” said Mathe.
He expressed concern regarding the continuous expansion of the Labour Activation Programmes in ways that appear to overlap with the mandate of the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Sector Education and Training Authorities.
“Equally troubling are efforts to redirect UIF resources towards government-to-government programmes that primarily benefit non-contributors, while contributors themselves face delays, exclusion, and administrative barriers,” said Mathe.
He noted that Busa had also decided to remove its representatives from the UIF board to “safeguard the reputation of our representatives, uphold sound governance principles, and send an unequivocal message that the current situation is unsustainable.”
As an example of the operational dysfunction of the UIF, he mentioned that the UIF’s rigid requirement for distressed employers to rectify up to 20 years of compliance data is impractical and “demonstrates a lack of responsiveness to stakeholders.”
“There is a growing impression that proper governance systems have been deliberately undermined. UIF board meetings have frequently been scheduled at short notice, making it difficult for members to adequately prepare or adjust their commitments. The disruptions have contributed to repeated failures to achieve quorum—not due to a lack of willingness to participate, but because of impractical and ad hoc arrangements,” he said.
