Eleven schoolchildren were killed on Monday morning when a minibus collided with a truck in a city south of Johannesburg, South African media reported.

Five other pupils sustained “critical injuries” in the incident in the industrial city of Vanderbijlpark and were en route to a hospital for urgent medical care, public broadcaster the South African Broadcasting Corporation said.

South Africa has a bad road safety record, which the government is trying to address.

In 2025, the country recorded 11,418 road deaths, according to data released last week, about 6 per cent lower than 2024’s number.

The transport ministry says reckless driving, including speeding and drink-driving, is among the major causes of road deaths.

Transport minister Barbara Creecy said it was time to change the law to scrap the current legal alcohol limit in favour of a zero-tolerance approach.

(Reuters/NAN)