Durban – When Fezeka Dladla, 22, heard about a bus crash on the Higginson Highway, near Savannah Park, she hoped her mother, Zandile Dladla, 43, was not among the dead.
However, a few hours later her worst fears were confirmed.
Dladla was one of three people who died when a bus travelling from Tafelkop, near Mariannhill, to Durban, via Chatsworth, plunged down an embankment.
Seventy others, including the driver, were injured.
“We heard the news on radio. We tried to call her, but her phone went unanswered. We then went to RKKhan Hospital to look for her. We thought she was in the ICU or casualty, but she was not. For a while we even hoped she had been taken to Addington Hospital,” Fezeka said.
The family searched the casualty unit at Addington Hospital. While there, they were informed by a relative that Dladla had died.
She was a mother of four and worked as a domestic worker in Chatsworth. She was also a member of the Apostolic Church in Tafelkop.
Fezeka said: “She left us with a list of household chores to complete. My mother wanted us to study and get good jobs so we could work and take care of her when she got old. My younger brother, Anele, 2, does not know what happened.”
The second fatality, Thembeni Mdabe, 58, was on her way to fetch her monthly medication from RKKhan Hospital.
She was a mother of two and also lived in Tafelkop.
Her brother, Mtsheleni Mdabe, said she was a member of the Zionist Church. She recently fell ill and stopped working.
“We are devastated by what happened. My sister was looking forward to being involved in lobolo negotiations for her niece on Saturday. They have been postponed,” Mdabe said.
The third victim, Msayinelwa Thabethe, 76, was also from the Tafelkop area and was also on his way to pick up medication from R K Khan Hospital.
He would have turned 77 on New Year’s Day.
He had two children and six grandchildren, and spent his time looking after his two cows on the family plot, said his brother, Phikelela Thabethe.
None of the families have made funeral arrangements as yet.
Olympic Bus Lines spokesman Suresh Mohunlal said management had visited the grieving families to offer their condolences.
The company is conducting an investigation.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation is also probing the accident.
Among those who they will talk to is the driver.
Meanwhile, those living near the crash site described how they went to the aid of the victims. They included Slindile Phungula and her mother, Simi Ngobe.
“We heard a bang and screeching noises. I jumped out of bed and ran outside when we heard people screaming in pain,” Phungula said.
“They ran through the bushes, down the embankment, creating their own pathway, towards our homes. They thought the bus was going to slide down.”
The crash occurred during a heavy downpour.
Ngobe said they allowed the passengers on to their balcony and in their lounge to recover and provided pain tablets and water to about 30 people.
“Within 15 minutes, there were several ambulances in our yard.
“People had cuts and blood on their faces and hands. We put blankets around those in severe shock.
“Some had witnessed those who died taking their last breath,” Ngobe said.