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The Zimbabwean government has declared last week’s bus crash between Trompsburg and Edenburg in the Free State as a disaster. Eleven Zimbabweans died when the bus overturned on the N1.
Zimbabwe’s Consul-General in Johannesburg, Eria Phiri was speaking at the Free State government mortuary in Bloemfontein, where families identified the bodies of their loved ones.
“We also want to appreciate the response which we received from your medical team in the province. It was quite heartwarming. I may wish to inform you, honourable premier, that the government of Zimbabwe has since declared a state disaster, meaning that everything else has been taken over by the government of Zimbabwe in terms of meeting the repatriation costs of those who demised and also the medical expenses of those who are hospitalised at the two medical institutions.”
Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae has appealed to public transport authorities to ensure that commuters’ information is recorded before departing on a trip.
She says this will assist with the identification of victims in the event of a fatal crash.
“Earlier, I encouraged the Consul General that, as we engage as different countries and provinces, that we really need to emphasise on the usage of passengers’ list when people are traveling. There are two, among the deceased, whom it is going to be difficult to identify,” she says.
Families of deceased victims of the N1 Bus accident that claimed the lives of 11 people, all Zimbabwean citizens, on 30 June 2026 came to identify the bodies of their loved ones at the mortuary. They were accompanied by Consul General of Zimbabwe to RSA & Premier Letsoha-Mathae pic.twitter.com/hsoTixBHlz
— FS Government (@fsgov) August 6, 2026
