At least eight people have died after a bus carrying 61 Malawian passengers lost its brakes and plunged down the Soutpansberg mountain pass on the N1 near Witvlag in Limpopo. Another 44 people were injured in the crash, which happened at about 6 pm on Thursday on one of the country’s most dangerous long-distance road corridors.

The bus was travelling north from Gauteng to Malawi when disaster struck. The Witvlag area lies about 19 kilometres north of Louis Trichardt and is known for steep descents, winding roads and difficult driving conditions, especially after dark.

Survivor recounts terrifying brake failure

A survivor, Isaac Agisali, described a desperate struggle to stop the vehicle before it crashed. He said the brakes first failed before the bus reached the first tunnel. The driver managed to pull over and appeared to restore them, but after the second tunnel, the brakes failed again. This time, there was no recovery.

Agisali said the bus gathered speed rapidly as it moved down the mountain in near darkness. Neither the driver nor the passengers who tried to help could bring it under control. By the time it reached the crash site, he said, it was moving too fast and had travelled too far down the slope to stop safely.

The Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety later said preliminary investigations pointed to mechanical failure as the suspected cause of the crash.

Scores injured as recovery operation continues

Authorities confirmed by Friday morning that the bus had 61 people on board. Of those injured, 22 were seriously hurt, 17 suffered moderate injuries and five sustained minor injuries.

The N1 was initially closed after the crash. It reopened briefly at 6:30 am on Friday, but officials warned that the road would be shut again at 10am so a stuck truck could be recovered and police dog units could continue searching for possible human remains.

Another tragedy on a deadly stretch of road

The Witvlag crash is the latest in a string of devastating bus accidents on Limpopo’s N1 corridor, a key route for cross-border travel between South Africa and countries including Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.

Just three months ago, five people were killed and 32 injured in another bus crash near Makhado. In October 2025, 43 people died when a bus carrying 91 passengers veered off the Soutpansberg mountain. Investigations in that case pointed to worn tyres and faulty brakes.

That record is deepening calls for tighter oversight of cross-border buses, stricter vehicle checks and stronger enforcement on one of the region’s busiest and deadliest highways.