Tragic deaths 2024: From horrific Limpopo bus crash to food poisoning claiming children's lives
No death, by virtue of the pain it inflicts on loved ones, is more tragic than the next. The year 2024 was full of them, and here are some notable ones.
Joseph Sebetwane holds up a picture of his daughter Monica (6), who died on Sunday in Naledi, Soweto, after allegedly consuming chips from a spaza shop. Photo: Katlego Jiyane/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - No death, by virtue of the pain it inflicts on loved ones, is more tragic than the next.
The year 2024 was full of them, and here are some notable ones.
EASTER BUS CRASH
A horrific bus crash in Limpopo claimed the lives of 45 people in March.
The deceased Botswana nationals were en route to Moria in Limpopo for an Easter gathering when their bus plunged off a bridge and caught fire.
An eight-year-old girl was the sole survivor of the crash. She survived with minor injuries.
READ: Bodies of 45 people who died in Limpopo bus crash repatriated to Botswana
DAYCARE CENTRE DEATH
In August, a four-month-old died at a daycare centre in Boksburg.
Parents said they received a call shortly after dropping baby Mbuso off that he was not breathing. The caretakers told the family they'd noticed the baby was not responsive when it was time for a nappy change.
The family alleged negligence, saying they were not convinced the daycare centre had been forthcoming on the details of the tragedy.
SNOW-TRAPPED DEATH
In September, a woman died of hypothermia while trapped in a blizzard that engulfed the N3 along van Reenen's Pass.
Scores of motorists travelling between KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Free State spent the night in the cold on the national route, as it was brought to a standstill by unusually heavy snowfall.
Some people ran out of food, while others had no access to basic amenities or ablution facilities.
READ: Stranded in the snow: A personal account of disarray and despair on the N3
FOOD POISONING
The deaths of at least 23 children from various schools, mainly in Gauteng aggrieved the nation.
The children died, almost one after the other from consuming food suspected of being poisoned, bought mainly from spaza shops in their respective areas. Hundreds of others were hospitalised.
READ: 'We're not angry, we're shattered: Family of sixth Naledi child who died of suspected food poisoning
In response, the government ordered that all spaza shops be registered and instituted a multi-disciplinary team to get to the bottom of the matter.
MASS SHOOTINGS
Prevalent across the country, mass shootings that claimed the lives of several people all at once shocked the country.
In the Eastern Cape, 18 family members were killed in October when gunmen stormed two separate households in one night at Ngobozana village, in Lusikisiki.
In Gauteng's Orange Farm, a tavern owner shot dead seven people in October, including a three-year-old child, allegedly after an altercation with one of the victims.
READ: OPINION: Anger the catalyst - when altercations turn deadly in South Africa
Similar scenes played themselves out in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.