Danè Greyling, 10, Fights to Recover After Fatal Sasolburg School Bus Crash
- A 10-year-old girl was airlifted to Netcare Alberton Hospital after a school minibus collided head-on with a truck near Sasolburg
- Danè Greyling suffered a broken back, broken ribs, a fractured left leg, and brain injuries, and has undergone multiple surgeries
- Her parents have not yet told her that her principal and three classmates died in the crash as she battles her own trauma
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Source: UGC
A 10-year-old girl is fighting for her life in the paediatric ICU at Netcare Alberton Hospital after surviving one of the most devastating school transport accidents South Africa has seen in recent years.
Danè Greyling was a passenger on a minibus carrying learners from JCS Independent School in Vaalpark when it collided head-on with a truck near the R57/R59 bridge, between Sasolburg and Vaalpark, at around 3:15 PM on 8 October 2026. The school principal and driver, Pastor Johan "Zet" Oosthuizen (60), as well as three young learners — Amandla Buthelezi (7), her brother Lwazi (9), and Uriel Govender (6) — died at the scene.
Danè was helicoptered to Alberton for emergency care, where she was placed in a medically induced coma for nearly two weeks.
A long road ahead
The extent of Danè's injuries has left her family facing an uncertain future. She underwent a six-hour back surgery, as well as procedures on her left leg and tongue, and also suffered broken ribs and brain injuries. Doctors have raised the possibility that she may not regain movement in her lower body, with medical opinions still divided on her long-term prognosis.
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She is now awake and communicates with her parents, Dandrè and his wife, by typing messages on a cellphone or tablet. A tracheostomy tube in her throat means she cannot yet speak. Despite everything, her parents remain by her side daily, making the lengthy commute between Sasolburg and the hospital in Alberton.
One of the hardest burdens the family carries is knowing that Danè does not yet know what happened to her principal and her three classmates. Her parents, with professional guidance, have chosen to help her process her own trauma before delivering that news.
Family calls for community support
To ease the financial pressure of daily travel and mounting medical bills, the Greyling family has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy. Funds raised will go towards medical costs, rehabilitation, specialised equipment, and the fuel required for the parents to be at Danè's bedside every day.
"Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a valuable difference," the family wrote in their campaign appeal. "If you are unable to contribute financially, it would mean just as much if you could share her story and keep her in your prayers."
Those who wish to support Danè's recovery can search for the Greyling family's campaign on BackaBuddy.
More on road accidents in South Africa
- Briefly News recently reported on how donations for student chef Alexis-Jayde van Wyk, 19, passed R110k after she died in a head-on collision.
- A Toyota Quantum taxi driver was killed after crashing into a SAPS Nyala on the N3 in Germiston shortly after midnight on Tuesday.
- Scholar transport safety fears grew after a minibus carrying 18 learners overturned near Vanderbijlpark.
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Source: Briefly News
