In a disturbing trend, Limpopo has witnessed two fatal bus accidents within a week, both involving Zimbabwean nationals. The latest incident occurred when a bus travelling from Johannesburg to Zimbabwe overturned along the N1 outside Mokopane, resulting in the deaths of five Zimbabweans. This follows a similar tragedy five days earlier, where 10 Zimbabwean nationals lost their lives after their bus overturned near Makhado.
Transport and Community Safety MEC Violet Mathye expressed her deep sorrow over the tragic accidents and emphasized the need for public transport operators to ensure that drivers are not fatigued before embarking on long cross-border journeys. The close succession of these incidents has raised alarm bells among South Africans, who are now questioning whether there could be more to these accidents than just unfortunate occurrences.
On social media, some South Africans have expressed skepticism and concern, alleging that foreign nationals may be exploiting these tragic accidents to make fraudulent claims against the Road Accident Fund (RAF). The RAF is designed to compensate victims of road accidents in South Africa, but the involvement of foreign nationals has sparked a debate about whether such claims are legitimate.
This is not the first time concerns have been raised about the RAF being used for potential scams, with many citizens questioning the fairness of payouts to non-citizens. While the tragic loss of life remains at the forefront of the conversation, the growing suspicion around RAF claims highlights a deeper issue of public trust and the perceived exploitation of the system.