WORCESTER, South Africa (AFP) – Transport officials in South Africa said they are confident about the safety of the country's roads ahead of next month's World Cup despite a bus accident that killed 28 people Wednesday.
"With 36 days to go to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, safe, efficient and reliable public transport, for South Africans and visitors alike, is a priority," said transport minister Sbu Ndebele.
"As government, we will not compromise the safety of innocent commuters," he said.
Ndebele was speaking after at least 28 people, including four children, were killed when an unroadworthy bus overturned northeast of Cape Town, in one of the country's worst-ever road accidents.
Between 20 and 30 people were injured in the crash, said Western Cape community safety spokesman Xenophone Wentzel.
The accident happened near Worcester, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Cape Town, as the bus travelled from the Eastern Cape province with around 80 passengers. It was meant to carry 64 people.
"The driver lost control of the bus, it then went through a barrier, overturned and then landed in the opposite direction it was travelling," Wentzel told AFP. "There was no other vehicle involved."
"This is one of the worst road accidents in the region and the country," he added.
A Western Cape traffic official said the privately owned bus had been suspended as unroadworthy last year.
Police have opened an investigation into culpable homicide against the driver, who is in critical condition in hospital.
Twenty-two people died at the scene, three at hospital and three bodies were found under the bus in the afternoon.
"Of the 28 people that died, four of them were children," Wentzel said.
Ndebele said his department would deploy mobile traffic control centres on major routes and around the nine World Cup host cities to ensure road safety during the June 11 to July 11 tournament.
"Mobile control centres will be in operation during peak traffic flow periods and match days. There will also be high visibility traffic patrols along key routes," he said.
South Africa's roads are among the world's most dangerous, with around 16,000 people killed every year -- an average of 45 a day.
A World Health Organisation study last year ranked South Africa ninth in the world in traffic fatalities, despite the country's relatively small vehicle fleet of 9.2 million.
The government has spent 2.6 billion dollars (1.9 billion euros) on transportation infrastructure ahead of the World Cup, including billions of rands to upgrade roads and poor public transport systems.
But some transport analysts say fans will still find travel difficult in a country more than three times the size of Germany.
Authorities said the bus in Wednesday's accident, which was registered to an individual, should not have been on the road.
"It was not supposed to be ferrying passengers. We do not know why it managed to get on the road," said provincial transport spokesman Solly Malatsi.
"This is blatant disregard for the law and we will ensure that there are serious consequences for the bus company or the owner concerned."
Several foreign embassies advise citizens to be cautious while driving in South Africa.
"Road conditions are generally good in South Africa," says the website of the US State Department.
"However, excessive speed, poor lighting on rural roads, and insufficient regulatory control of vehicle maintenance and operator licensing have resulted in a high and increasing number of traffic fatalities."
The British foreign office warns of inconsistent driving standards and many fatal accidents, which the French attributed to speeding, driver inexperience, pedestrians on roads, and drunk driving.
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