Overloaded bus carrying 104 people stopped in Limpopo en route to Malawi

Limpopo traffic officers have intercepted and impounded an overloaded bus carrying 104 people that was travelling from Johannesburg to Malawi, authorities said.

What happened

The bus was stopped on the N1 North near Botlokwa Capricorn Plaza on Thursday during a road safety operation conducted by the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety.

The vehicle had a certified seating capacity of 60 passengers but was carrying 104 people, exceeding its legal capacity by 44.

Passengers and documentation checks

Department spokesperson Mashudu Mabata said the passengers included 62 men, 25 women and 17 children older than five years.

Officials recovered 34 passports from the bus and inspected them with the assistance of immigration officers from the Department of Home Affairs in Botlokwa.

“All were confirmed to be invalid,”

Mabata said.

Police action and immediate outcome

The bus, which was towing a heavily loaded trailer, was escorted to the Mampakuil Weighbridge for impoundment. The SAPS K9 Unit was called in to search the trailer.

To address the overloading, authorities arranged a 22-seater Toyota Coaster to transport the excess passengers. The passengers were then taken to the Beitbridge Border Post.

Officials’ warning

Mabata urged motorists and public transport operators to avoid overloading vehicles, saying it poses a serious danger to the safety of passengers and other road users.

Related enforcement action

The department said this interception follows a May 22 operation when traffic officers stopped two minibuses travelling from Zimbabwe to Gauteng on the N1 Bypass near the Polokwane Traffic Control Centre.

In that operation one minibus was carrying 27 passengers with only one person in possession of a valid passport, while the second minibus, carrying 23 passengers, also had only one passenger with a valid passport. The immigration team was activated and is processing the 48 individuals found to be in the country illegally, in line with deportation prescripts.

Authorities said two South African drivers are expected to face human trafficking charges, and both minibuses were impounded for allegedly contravening the conditions of their operating licences.