Police in Mokopane, under the Waterberg District in Limpopo, have launched a massive manhunt for a group of armed suspects after two passengers were fatally shot and robbed inside a bus along the N1 freeway.
Images shared online show a child clutching at the body of her lifeless mother, covered in blood, seated in the bus. Other pictures show the body of the deceased man, and the bus surrounded by emergency medical services vehicles.
Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, said the horrific incident occurred on Wednesday night, before 10 pm, approximately eight kilometres before the Nyl Plaza tollgate.
“Reports indicate that the complainant, a 42-year-old bus driver from Zimbabwe, had departed from the Power House (bus station in Johannesburg) driving a Volvo 60-seater bus with 54 passengers on board. The driver had picked up passengers at various points, including Midrand and Pretoria en route to Zimbabwe,” said Ledwaba.
It is alleged that along the way, two male passengers seated at the back of the bus suddenly produced firearms and pointed them at the other passengers.
One male passenger, aged around 30, whose identity is not yet known, attempted to disarm one of the assailants, while several others also tried to intervene.
“During the struggle, the suspects fired several shots inside the bus, fatally wounding the 30-year-old male passenger and an unknown female, estimated to be 25 years old,” said Ledwaba.
