The move follows last month’s deadly bus crash near Makhado in the country’s Limpopo province, which claimed 43 lives, mostly Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals.
AUBBTA Chairperson, Mukhwathi Phumudzo, said the association intends to pursue several charges, including violations of the Immigration Act, health and transport regulations, as well as economic sabotage and terrorism.
“We are going to lay a charge against the Minister and her deputy for violation of the Immigration Act, stolen medication, contradicting the Health Act, and also economic sabotage and terrorism,” Phumudzo said.
“We are also going to lay charges, including the killing of 44 passengers near Makhado, where the Minister of Transport and her deputy were aware that the bus involved was operating without a permit, because we don’t have a cross-border route on a daily basis.”
The AUBBTA accuses the authorities of negligence, saying the crash could have been prevented if cross-border transport regulations had been properly enforced. The association further alleges that oversight failures within the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency have led to the proliferation of unlicensed operators and unsafe vehicles on major regional routes.
–SABC/ChannelAfrica–
