Penny Lebyane Lashes at People Circulating Photos of a Distraught Mom at Vaal Accident Scene

Penny Lebyane Lashes at People Circulating Photos of a Distraught Mom at Vaal Accident Scene

  • South African radio personality Penny Lebyane has lashed out at the internet users who continuously circulate pictures from the Vaal crash
  • Lebyane shared anger at those who share images of a mother who was crying hysterically following the accident, which claimed the lives of 14 pupils
  • Mzansi called out the lack of empathy and ubuntu concerning the people who shared videos and images from the scene
Penny Lebyane slammed those show shared images of the accident scene.
Penny Lebyane called out social media users for sharing images of heartbroken parents at the accident scene in Vaal. Image: Pennylebyane
Source: Instagram

South African media personality Penny Lebyane issued a strong-worded lashing at internet users who posted images of a mother at an accident scene.

On Monday, 19 January 2026, a mini-bus taxi transporting school kids crashed into a truck, claiming the lives of 14 young souls. Cries from parents in Vanderbijlpark, Vaal, echoed across Mzansi, with many people sharing anger, frustration, and heartbreak over the unfortunate incident.

Images of the parents who were at the scene have been circulating on social media, but Penny Lebyane found this distasteful.

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Penny slams users posting photos of a mother

Taking to X on Monday evening, the former Radio 2000 star found it distasteful to post photos of a mother crying uncontrollably after losing her child. The woman, dressed in a red dress, was inconsolable upon seeing the body of her child, and it was all caught on camera.

Lebyane asked people to give the woman space and stop sharing the pictures.

"Why are the pictures of a mother who lost her two children being paraded here on this platform. Nxa aaag maan. Leave her alone," the radio star wrote.

Mzansi seems to agree with Penny. Below are some of the reactions:

@LawOfAt27180945 said:

"If this story dies and we don't see the impact it caused on families, it's easy for dockets to dissappear like the Nomhle story nobody talks about; we just move on."

@RealNunuza2025 responded:

"Thank the media houses for that one, the "money" shot."

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Tragic accident as 14 young lives are lost, leaving the Vaal community heartbroken

@ThabisoMat99590 stated:

"People are pushing their agendas. People are shamelessly using this sad event to hate on foreigners."

@Fifi_Kumalo said:

"Why is there an AI-generated poster with images of the deceased before GDE sends out a circular notice? We have a comms crisis in this country."

@WayShembe replied:

"Imagine people want likes while a mother is at her lowest."

@iAmyoLeader2 shared:

"I really don't understand my sister, why people do this."

@tarrrayM said:

"News channels have been doing the same since the accident."

@proletarat52439 responded:

"Social media has its disadvantages."

@GailAllan15 responded:

"Clicks for likes and absolutely devoid of humanity. People are creating content ka the lives of others, so stupid."
Penny Lebyane defended a young mother.
Penny Lebyane spoke about the people who shared images of parents at the Vaal accident scene. Image: Pennylebyane
Source: Instagram

Cyclist relives horrific crash

In a previous report from Briefly News, a cyclist who said to have witnessed the horrific accident that claimed the lives of 12 schoolchildren described the tragic scene. Investigations indicate that the minibus driver attempted to overtake a vehicle and failed to see an oncoming truck.

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Parents rushed to the scene after hearing about the accident to see if their children were involved.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Jessica Gcaba avatar

Jessica Gcaba (Entertainment editor) Jessica Gcaba is an Entertainment Editor for Briefly News (joined in 2023). She is a Journalism graduate from the Durban University of Technology (2019). She has 6 years of experience as an Entertainment and Lifestyle Journalist, having worked at Africa New Media Group, writing for ZAlebs website. She passed a set of training from the Google News Initiative. To reach her, contact: jessica.gcaba@briefly.co.za