Families bid farewell to schoolchilren in South Africa killed in a school bus crash

Описание: (25 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Vereeniging, South Africa - 25 January 2026
1. Wide of coffins at the funeral of schoolchildren who died in school bus crash
2. Poster of schoolchildren who died in accident
3. Schoolchildren attending funeral
4. Wide of funeral-goers
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Panyaza Lesufi, Gauteng Premier:
“We come here hurt. We come here disappointed. We come here disturbed. We come here limping and our emotions drained. Since the passing of our beloved children, our lives have never been the same since the passing, our country remains in mourning.”
6. Mid of church leaders during funeral
7. Wide of funeral-goers
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Lesedi Mokgobo, cousin of one of the deceased:
“Bokamoso was a young, beautiful lady with a beautiful smile and a bubbly personality. She was one confident girl who was not afraid to speak her mind. Every room she walked in, she filled it with laughter, joy and love. Though you are no more, you will forever be remembered for those unforgettable dance moves and just like David, surely you are now dancing with the Lord with all your might.”
9. Funeral programme
10. Coffins of two schoolchildren
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sindisiwe Chikunga, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities:
“To the mothers who held tiny hands that morning in memory, to the fathers who traced small initials on lunchboxes, to the grandparents who kept vigil by the door waiting for footsteps that did not come, we hold you in our prayers as a nation. Your grief is the nation's grief, your love is the nation's lesson.”
12. Parent comforts a child
13. Musicians performing
14. Church leaders and family members taking coffin to hearse
15. Wide of church leader saluting
STORYLINE:
Dozens of mourners gathered at a sports complex in the South African city of Vereeniging on Sunday to bid farewell to three schoolchildren killed in a school bus crash.

Panyaza Lesufi, the premier of Gauteng province, addressed the crowd, saying the tragedy was being mourned not only by the families, but by the nation as a whole.

“We come here hurt. We come here disappointed. We come here disturbed. We come here limping and our emotions drained," he said.

The memorial service was attended by government ministers, pupils from several schools and members of the public, who gathered to show solidarity with the bereaved families.

A cousin of one of the children described her as bubbly and full of life, saying she loved dancing.

Sindisiwe Chikunga, the minister in the presidency for women, youth and persons with disabilities, said the affected families were being kept in the nation’s prayers.

“Your grief is the nation’s grief. Your love is the nation’s lesson," she said.

Two teenage girls died on Thursday of their injuries from the crash in Gauteng province, raising the death toll to 14, authorities said, as the bus driver was charged with murder.

The private minibus was transporting 16 students to various primary and high schools in the south of Johannesburg on Monday when it collided with a truck around 7 a.m., leaving 12 children dead at the scene, according to authorities.

Seven people, including five students, the bus driver and a passenger in the truck, were injured and hospitalized. Three of the seven injured were discharged.

AP video shot by Alfonso Nqunjana

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