JOHANNESBURG: Twelve schoolchildren were killed on Monday when a minibus transporting pupils collided with a truck near Vanderbijlpark, about 60 kilometres south of Johannesburg, police said.
According to authorities, the minibus driver appeared to lose control while overtaking other vehicles. Eleven pupils died at the scene, while another succumbed to injuries later in hospital, Gauteng provincial education minister Matome Chiloane confirmed.
The victims included learners from both primary and high schools, though their exact ages were not immediately known, according to AFP.
Images circulating on social media showed the mangled minibus at the roadside as grieving parents gathered behind police cordons.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi described the crash as “a terrible scene.” The tragedy comes amid persistent concerns over road safety in South Africa, where more than 11,400 people died in traffic accidents in 2025, according to transport ministry data.
Many families rely on private minibuses to transport children to school, a practice often linked to safety risks. Similar incidents in recent months have left dozens of schoolchildren injured or dead in separate crashes across the country.
