A road crash in South Africa turned tragic on Sunday, claiming the lives of nine individuals who had attended an election rally by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party.
The fatal accident occurred as ANC supporters were returning home to Mpumalanga province after the rally in Durban the previous day, the ANC confirmed in a statement. The bus carrying the supporters veered off the road and overturned, resulting in the loss of nine lives, according to police reports.
Emergency services reported that an additional 17 individuals sustained injuries in the crash, with some in critical condition. The incident took place near Paulpietersburg, approximately 360 kilometers north of Durban.
The ANC stated that several of the injured were in critical condition, prompting provincial ANC officials to rush to the crash site and hospitals where the injured were receiving treatment.
The ANC had launched its election manifesto at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, drawing tens of thousands of supporters. The upcoming May 29 national election poses a significant challenge to the ANC’s three-decade-long rule, with opinion polls suggesting that the party could face the possibility of losing its majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994.
As South Africa mourns the loss of lives in this tragic incident, the country braces for a pivotal election that could reshape its political landscape.