Three students who were returning home after protests turned violent at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) were among the survivors of a bus crash near Mossel Bay that claimed six lives and left another 30 passengers injured.
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After the protests forced CPUT to halt classes and evacuate students from their residence, the trio were returning to Port Elizabeth.
Speaking to News24 earlier this week, student Iphithule Sigola said a passenger died in her arms.
‘I saw … body parts crushed. Someone dying in my arms. I still dream about it, but I am trying to remain strong.’
She added that when the bus came to a halt, all she wanted to do was exit it.
‘My mind was all over the place, but I tried to remain as calm as possible. I was traumatised but I tried to contain it.’
Meanwhile, speaking on condition of anonymity, two other students told News24 they were ‘very lucky’ to be alive.
One of them, who reportedly had contact with the bus driver before travelling to PE, claimed he told her not to sit in the front of the bus.
‘He checked all my tickets as I boarded the bus in Paarl. I was going to sit in front, but then he told me not to sit there. He did not explain why, but, if I look back now, he actually saved my life.’
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‘Never in a million years did we expect that a few hours after leaving Paarl, I’d end up with dead bodies around me,’ said the student.
The other added that she had just fallen asleep when she heard people calling for the driver to ‘wake up’.
‘Everything happened so fast. One minute, I was asleep, and the next thing I saw the lights of the oncoming bus flashing at our bus. It was so scary.’
She claimed that when the bus abruptly stopped, she noticed bodies lying nearby.
‘It was sad to see the number of dead people lying around me and the many others injured.’
‘We have suffered from shattered glass piercing our skin … my nose was fractured after the impact. The whole ordeal was a very traumatic experience, and the company must provide counselling for us.’
The majority of the passengers had communication with Intercape, according to CEO Johann Ferreira, who also offered support.
He added that the Western Cape Department of Mobility and the police, among others, were conducting investigations.
Ferreira stated that the business was cooperating with the investigations to ascertain the accident’s cause and had provided the authorities with all relevant evidence, including onboard video.
‘Intercape has reviewed its on-board surveillance systems, which showed that the driver was awake and fully alert. The driver had also been rested prior to commencement of [the] trip,’ he added.
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley told News24 that the university was aware of two of its students that were on the bus.
‘With 35 000 students and the protest action escalating at the time, many students had opted to leave campus before the institution announced it was ceasing operations,’ Kansley added.
Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Christopher Spies said they were still investigating the crash.
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Picture: Grant de Vos