Limpopo traffic officers have intercepted and impounded an overloaded bus travelling from Johannesburg to Malawi after finding it was carrying 104 passengers on the N1 North.
Image: Supplied / Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety.
Limpopo traffic officers have intercepted an overloaded bus carrying 104 passengers on the N1 North near Botlokwa Capricorn Plaza, far exceeding its legal capacity of 60.
The bus, which was travelling from Johannesburg to Malawi, was stopped on Thursday.
It was stopped during a road safety operation conducted by the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety.
Department spokesperson Mashudu Mabata said the bus was carrying 44 more passengers than permitted.
"The bus, with a certified seating capacity of 60 passengers, was found carrying 104 passengers, exceeding the legal capacity by 44 passengers," she said.
The bus was towing a heavily loaded trailer.
A bus en route to Malawi was stopped near Botlokwa in Limpopo on Thursday after officials discovered it was carrying far more passengers than permitted.
Image: Supplied / Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety.
According to Mabata, the passengers included 62 men, 25 women and 17 children older than five years.
During the operation, 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.
The bus was escorted to the Mampakuil Weighbridge for impoundment, while the SAPS K9 Unit was called in to search the trailer.
She said 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.
"The department strongly urges motorists and public transport operators to refrain from overloading vehicles, as this poses a serious danger to the safety of passengers and other road users," Mabata said.
Road safety officials in Limpopo have impounded a passenger bus on the N1 North after it was found to be severely overloaded during a routine enforcement operation.
Image: Suppled / Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety.
The latest interception follows a similar operation on May 22, when traffic officers stopped two minibuses travelling from Zimbabwe to Gauteng on the N1 Bypass near the Polokwane Traffic Control Centre.
Mabata said one minibus was carrying 27 passengers, with only one person in possession of a valid passport. The second minibus, carrying 23 passengers, also had only one passenger with a valid passport.
"The immigration team was immediately activated and is currently processing the 48 individuals found to be in the country illegally, in line with deportation prescripts," she said.
Two South African drivers are expected to face human trafficking charges, while both minibuses have been impounded for allegedly contravening the conditions of their operating licences.
IOL News