Vanderbijlpark Crash: South Africa Mourns As More Learners Are Laid to Rest
- Heartache grips South Africa as communities prepare to bury more learners who lost their lives in the deadly Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash on 19 January 2026
- Funerals are taking place in Steynsrus, Olifantshoek, and Sebokeng, with families, classmates, and community members delivering emotional tributes to the 14 young victims
- The tragedy has sparked nationwide calls for improved scholar transport safety, while authorities continue investigating the circumstances of the collision
Source: Twitter
Grief continues to ripple through South Africa as communities prepare to lay to rest more learners who tragically lost their lives in the deadly Vanderbijlpark crash on 19 January 2026
According to SABC News, nine-year-old Lindokuhle Mabaso will be buried on Saturday morning, 31 January 2026,in Steynsrus, Free State. She was among 14 learners who died when the scholar minibus taxi they were travelling in collided with a truck in Vanderbijlpark, west of Johannesburg, on Monday last week.
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Another victim of the crash, 16-year-old Sagwadi Baloyi-Mathye, a Grade 12 learner, will be laid to rest in Olifantshoek village outside Giyani, Limpopo. Mourners, including her classmates, have gathered to pay their final respects.
The crash has left families and communities devastated, raising concerns about the safety of scholar transport across the country. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.
Three learners laid to rest in Sebokeng
Families and community members delivered heartfelt tributes at a joint funeral service on 25 January 2026, in Sebokeng for three of the learners who died in the tragic scholar transport crash on the R553 near Vanderbijlpark. Relatives, friends, and schoolmates mourned deeply as they said their final goodbyes to the young victims, remembering their personalities and the futures cut short.
Memorial service held for learners killed in tragic crash
A memorial service was held in Vanderbijlpark’s Vaal region to honour the 14 pupils who died when their scholar transport minibus collided with a truck on the R553 Golden Highway earlier this month. Community members, families, and officials expressed deep grief and shock at the loss of young lives and called for better safety and oversight of scholar transport services. The minibus driver remains in custody as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragic crash.
Learners' parents and friends remember them
- The father of a young girl killed in the Vaal scholar transport crash delivered a heartbreaking tribute to his daughter at the memorial service, expressing the depth of his grief and how her dreams were cut short by the tragedy. His emotional words struck a chord with attendees as the community continued to mourn the loss of the 14 pupils who died in the collision.
- The mother dressed in red delivered an emotional tribute to her child killed in the Vaal scholar transport crash, speaking through tears about her loss and the deep pain the tragedy has brought to her family.
- Briefly News exclusively reported that families of best friends Thato Mcira and Sagwadi Mathe, who died in the R553 Vanderbijlpark scholar transport collision, expressed deep anguish and anger, blaming the minibus driver’s reckless actions for the deaths. Loved ones described the young girls’ bright futures cut short and insisted the driver must be held accountable for the tragedy.
Source: Twitter
Previously, Briefly News reported that a moving brass procession and community gathering in Sebokeng honoured two learners killed in the Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash. Attendees described the procession as “a beautiful send‑off” that brought neighbours and church members together in grief and remembrance.
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Source: Briefly News
