Five passenger vehicles were impounded for dangerous overloading on the N1

Zuko Komisa

Five vehicles, including three buses, were impounded on the N1 near Polokwane for transporting passengers far beyond legal capacity.
Inspectors discovered minors sitting on luggage and cooler boxes inside a severely overcrowded minibus taxi heading for Gauteng.
The Limpopo Department of Transport warned that overloading remains a leading cause of fatal crashes and will result in immediate impoundment.

The Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety has impounded three buses and two minibus taxis after they were caught significantly exceeding their legal passenger limits.

The vehicles were intercepted on the N1 south, just outside Polokwane, during routine road safety enforcement operations.

According to department spokesperson Matome Taueatsoala, the vehicles were travelling from Zimbabwe to Gauteng when they were stopped. In one particularly harrowing instance, a minibus taxi licensed for 14 people was found carrying over 20 passengers.

This included several minors who were forced to sit on cooler boxes and stacked luggage, a practice officials described as a “serious risk” to life.

The department has reiterated its hardline stance on road safety, noting that overloading is a primary cause of fatal accidents. All five vehicles are currently being held at the Polokwane Traffic Control Centre.

Authorities confirmed that the vehicles will remain impounded pending further legal action and the payment of significant fines.