Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on Tuesday 11 March provided “outstanding assistance” to victims of a bus crash in Ekurhuleni, earning the praise of Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice.
In a statement on Thursday, committee chairperson Jane Mananiso noted “with appreciation the outstanding assistance” provided by the members following the accident on the R21 near the OR Tambo International Airport where, according to media reports, 13 people died and at least 77 were injured.
It is suspected that sudden braking may have caused the crash, causing the driver to lose control. There were 89 people on board the bus at the time of the crash. The bus rolled several times before coming to rest on its side.
Mananiso said the presence and assistance of the SANDF members calmed and reassured the survivors of the accident. “We are really grateful that defence force members are able to assist in emergency situations like that one. We should see more of such actions, as they reflect positively on our defence force. South Africans should note these kinds of acts and acknowledge them,” she said.
Mananiso added that Gauteng government leaders from all spheres quickly arrived at the site of the accident and victims were taken swiftly for treatment. Mananiso emphasised the value of acknowledging the goodwill demonstrated by soldiers at times such as these, when they are helping society outside of conflict zones and times of war.
This is not the first time in the last year that SANDF soldiers have assisted crash victims. In October 2024, three members of the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) were in the right place at the right time when they chanced upon a truck crash while transferring a patient to Pretoria.
Sergeant Boitumelo Baakeleng (Operational Emergency Care Practitioner), Corporal Ngema (Advanced Life Support Paramedic) and Private Thembeka Langa (Immediate Life Support) stopped at the crash site on 23 October near Vrede on the N3 to immediately provide emergency medical care to two men with life threatening injuries. The patients were stabilised and handed over to Government Emergency Medical Care for further medical attention and transportation.
