BuaNews

By Thabisile Khoza

Piet Retief - All but one of the twenty-nine people who were killed when a bus overturned in Piet Retief have been identified and buried after a mass funeral service held over the weekend.

Mpumalanga's Roads and Transport MEC Jackson Mthembu organised buses to transport mourners to the Mandla Magudulela stadium in Thandukukhanya in Piet Retief on Saturday.

"Twenty eight people had already been identified by families and relatives, except for one person who is yet to be identified," said department spokesperson, Vukani Mnyandu, on Monday.

Mr Mnyandu said after the mass funeral service held at the stadium, the department transported the 28 coffins to various graveyards where the families of the deceased conducted burials.

"After the service, some family members preferred to bury their loved ones separately due to traditional and cultural reasons," said Mr Mnyandu.

Mpumalanga's Premier Thabang Makwetla attended the mass funeral service alongside a number of MEC's, including MEC Mthembu, mayors, councillors, church members and bus and taxi operators.

An investigation to determine the cause of the accident has not been concluded. The outcomes of the investigation will be released as soon as it has been completed.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Superintendent Abie Khoabane said 29 people died and not 31, as previously reported.

"Families of the 28 accident victims identified them. However, after thorough record-checking, it emerged that only 29 people died in the accident and not 31," he said.

It was discovered that the other two bodies were not part of the accident. They were already at the mortuary when the others were taken in.

The bus was transporting 57 passengers from Piet Retief to Mahlathini Village on 7 October.

It is alleged that the driver of Bhekezakho bus lost control of the steering wheel when the bus overturned and plunged into a shallow river about 45 kilometres from Piet Retief.

The driver of the bus, who was transporting 56 farmworkers to the Houtkop farm following a shopping trip, was among those killed.

Three of the six survivors are in a critical condition in Milpark hospital in Johannesburg while the other three are in Witbank hospital.

Khoabane said the other 22 survivors were admitted in Piet Retief hospital, with 12 reportedly in a serious condition while the rest were slightly injured. - BuaNews