Pretoria - Cabinet says law enforcement agencies must show zero tolerance and punish anyone who is found responsible for the horrific bus accident on the N1 highway between De Doorns and Touwsrivier in the Western Cape that claimed 28 lives.
The bus was travelling from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town on Wednesday morning when the driver apparently lost control and veered 30m down a cliff before overturning. Four children were among the 28 killed in the accident.
Police say the bus is believed to be privately owned and reports indicate that it was not supposed to be operating as it had been suspended by the Eastern Cape traffic department because it was unroadworthy.
Media reports also indicate that the bus was carrying 78 passengers, instead of the 64 it is certified to carry, when the accident occurred.
"Anyone found to be responsible for this accident must and will face the full might of the law. Law enforcement agencies must show zero tolerance and punish all those who break the laws," government spokesperson Themba Maseko said on Thursday.
The Department of Transport had sent a specialist accident investigation and reconstruction team to investigate the accident.
The driver will appear in court today on charges of culpable homicide.
Meanwhile, Cabinet also paid tribute to late anti-apartheid veteran, Sheena Duncan, who passed away on Tuesday.
"She was a principled campaigner for peace and justice. She will be missed by millions of South Africans whose lives she touched in many different ways throughout her life," said Maseko.
Sheena was the founding chairperson of the Black Sash Trust and later became the organisation's first patron. She was also a leading member of the SA Council of Churches, becoming its honorary life president, and chairperson and patron of Gun-Free South Africa.
Sheena died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Johannesburg in the early hours of this morning. She was 78 and had been battling illness for some time.
