16 people were killed in a bus crash on the R21 near OR Tambo International Airport, South Africa earlier on Tuesday.
The bus had apparently flipped while speeding on a highway not far from the main airport.
There are fears that the death toll could rise.
President Cyril Ramaphosa offers his condolences to the bereaved families and wishes survivors of the incident a speedy and full recovery.
President Ramaphosa’s thoughts are also with the families of at least nine bus passengers who lost their lives in an incident in KwaZulu-Natal this past weekend, in which 39 people were injured as well.
“While the causes of these recent incidents are still under investigation, we are reminded that tragedies such as these leave more than physical scars, as they cause trauma that affects family relationships and the lives of survivors” the president said.
He added: ”Incidents such as these impact on people’s ability to earn a living; they impact in our health and emergency services; they drive up insurance and result in expensive vehicle repairs, and they affect business who lose personnel in this process”.
The South African leaders said the tragedy must serve as a source of reflection on the responsibility and conduct of everyone getting in behind the wheel of a vehicle, big and small.
”When we ask how safe our roads are, we actually need to ask how safe we are as drivers and pedestrians. The biggest factor in crashes is human error, not law enforcement or road conditions” he said.
He advised drivers to ensure vehicles are roadworthy and must obey the rules of the road as their role is to keep road users safe.
”Where drivers ignore these rules, they stand a chance of losing their lives or being critically injured. And where they survive, they will end up in our courts and correctional centres” he said.
WN/as/APA