- A Limpopo motorist stopped his car and used his first-aid skills to help when he came across a horrific crash between a bus and cash-in-transit vehicle.
- Musekwa Ben Maemu said no emergency workers were on the scene when he arrived.
- He has urged people to help at accident scenes, instead of standing by and taking pictures and videos.
"It didn't matter if I knew any of those people personally. I just wanted to help and make sure they were safe," said a Limpopo man who spent hours rescuing passengers who were involved in the deadly collision between a bus and a cash-in-transit truck in Limpopo.
Musekwa Ben Maemu was driving to Musina when he came across the crash that claimed 21 lives and left more than 60 injured on Monday evening.
READ | Death toll in Limpopo bus crash rises to 21
Maemu, who works at a mine in Musina, told News24 that emergency workers had not arrived at the scene when he got there. He called the emergency services and put his first-aid skills to the test.
"I used the little knowledge I have from my first-aid course at work. I didn't know what I was doing. I just got out of the car and started helping people. I was able to help the patients climb up from the cliff to the road. I couldn't count how many people I'd helped. It was very traumatic."
Maemu said motorists who come across accident scenes should lend a helping hand.
He said:
Earlier, President Cyril Ramaphosa conveyed condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the crash.
"Incidents like this impact severely on families who lose loved ones, and survivors or witnesses who are affected physically or psychologically when such tragedy happens. Incidents of this kind also have economic consequences for the people involved and the businesses they may operate or in which they are employed."
Ramaphosa urged motorists to be cautious and patient on the roads.
"We must all do what we can to travel in safety while treating our roads as a shared amenity, which they are," said Ramaphosa.