Nine school children were injured after the taxi they were travelling in lost control and crashed into a house in Redcliffe, north of Durban, on Tuesday morning, 26 May 2026.
The accident happened along Bafflesdraai Road while the pupils were on their way to school. According to reports, the taxi allegedly veered off the road before smashing into a residential property in an informal settlement, leaving the children injured and causing significant damage to both the vehicle and the house.
Residents who witnessed the frightening incident said the taxi appeared to be speeding moments before the crash. Dumisani Cele, who was nearby at the time, said he became concerned after noticing the speed at which the taxi was travelling while carrying school children.
“I was standing near the road when I saw the taxi coming downhill at a very high speed,” Cele explained. “I immediately became worried because I could see there were school pupils inside the vehicle.”
He added that within seconds, he heard a loud bang as the taxi crashed into a nearby home.
“The impact was very loud. Fortunately, the house was not completely destroyed, and no one lost their life during the accident. The children suffered injuries and were taken for medical attention,” he said.
Emergency responders from Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) were dispatched to the scene after receiving reports of a serious collision involving a scholar transport vehicle.
RUSA spokesperson Prem Balram confirmed that officers found the taxi badly damaged after it had crashed into the residential property. He said the impact caused extensive destruction to the vehicle and parts of the house.
“Two windows of the home were shattered, burglar bars were bent outward, and part of the concrete boundary wall was damaged,” Balram said. “Vehicle debris and broken parts were scattered across the scene.”
According to Balram, approximately nine children between the ages of seven and nine were inside the taxi when the accident occurred. The children were reportedly transported privately to Redcliffe Clinic for medical assessment before emergency personnel arrived at the scene.
The taxi itself was left severely wrecked. Authorities said the front section of the vehicle was crushed, the roof collapsed inward, and sections of the passenger side were torn apart during the collision. The driver’s door was also completely ripped off.
Balram further stated that the driver was allegedly injured in the accident but was not found at the scene when officers arrived.
Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal police confirmed that a 59-year-old man was arrested following the incident. Police spokesperson Sergeant Thenjiswa Ngcobo said the suspect was charged for operating a public transport vehicle without a valid route permit.
The arrested man is expected to appear soon in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court.
The incident has once again raised concerns about the safety of scholar transport vehicles and the need for stricter monitoring of drivers responsible for transporting children to and from school. Parents and community members are calling for stronger enforcement of road safety regulations to prevent similar accidents in the future.
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