Transport minister Barbara Creecy has instructed the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to convene a meeting with bus operators within the next week to discuss ways to enhance passenger safety.

It follows a spate of fatal road crashes involving passenger buses, including Tuesday’s horror crash on the R21 near OR Tambo International Airport which resulted in 16 fatalities and multiple injuries.

The crash involved a passenger bus and a car at the interchange of the R21 and R24, which resulted in the bus rolling several times. It caused a major traffic jam and lane closures heading to the airport. The RTMC dispatched a crash investigation unit and law enforcement officials to determine the cause of the crash.

Creecy said she was concerned that this was the third serious bus accident in the past week. On Sunday nine people died in a crash on the N2 when a bus rolled down an embankment between Mandeni and KwaDukuza in KwaZulu-Natal after a tyre burst.

Last week 10 people were killed on the N6 in the Free State when their bus collided with a truck.

The minister called for heightened caution and vigilance by motorists and road users to ensure they stay safe on the roads.

In January it was reported that at least 1,502 people died in 1,234 fatal crashes over the festive season — a 5.3% increase from the previous year, with a 4.2% rise in the number of crashes.

“There is appalling lack of respect for traffic laws and South Africans must change our behaviour on the roads,” she said at the time.

“The number of people who died on the roads this festive season increased because people continue to behave badly despite the ministry's pleas and warnings and notwithstanding their efforts to clamp down on irresponsible and reckless behaviour. It is clear that many road users — drivers and pedestrians — continue to act without regard for the lives of others.”

She said authorities would direct their efforts at changing the behaviour of road users, invest in designing and engineering safer roads, enforcing safe speeds in high-congestion areas and enhancing emergency response systems and access to quality trauma care.