An undated video has surfaced showing a dramatic roadside struggle by passengers of a Zimbabwean cross-border bus, Mzansi Express, as they fought to extinguish a fire that broke out beneath the vehicle near Hammanskraal, Pretoria The footage shows flames engulfing the rear wheel area of the bus while smoke billows into the air With no functional fire extinguisher on board, the driver and passengers resorted to desperate measures—beating the fire with tree branches, dousing it with buckets of water, and using jerrycans to fetch more https://x.com/zimeye/status/1954616110973628564?s=46
As the situation unfolded, panic and urgency filled the air
“Has anyone got a cloth Give us a cloth so that we can cover this fire, come on!” shouted one unidentified man Another male voice frantically replied, “If we had only just taken our bags, that would’ve been better.”In the background, two other men could be heard yelling to each other, “The cloths are there inside the bus!”—this while the flames below the bus were visibly rising in power At one point, the fire appeared to intensify, forcing passengers to edge dangerously close to the burning tyres
The video captures at least one fire extinguisher lying unused on the ground, raising questions about its operational state It remains unclear where the bus was headed at the time of the incident However, Mzansi Express operates cross-border services between Zimbabwe and South Africa, and the vehicle was reportedly travelling along a route frequently used by long-distance coaches No injuries were reported, but the incident has sparked outrage among cross-border travellers, who accuse some operators of neglecting basic safety standards
Transport safety experts warn that such incidents highlight the urgent need for stricter enforcement of passenger vehicle safety regulations—especially on long-distance cross-border routes where emergency response may be delayed Authorities in both South Africa and Zimbabwe are yet to comment on the incident Source: Zimeye
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Source: Zimeye
