Dashcam footage believed to capture the moments leading up to the devastating Vanderbijlpark crash has surfaced on social media.
The video, which has been widely shared online, appears to show a scholar transport minibus travelling into the path of an oncoming truck despite other vehicles seemingly attempting to create space.
Since its release, the footage has drawn intense scrutiny from social media users, many of whom have expressed shock, grief and outrage over what they believe it reveals about the driver’s actions.
The fatal crash occurred earlier this week and immediately drew national attention.
Video footage of the Vanderbijlpark accident has been released following the tragic crash that claimed the lives of 12 learners. pic.twitter.com/SIrFK8Ha3M
— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) January 20, 2026
The 22-year-old scholar transport driver, who was behind the wheel of the minibus carrying the learners, has since been charged with 12 counts of culpable homicide.
Additional charges of reckless and negligent driving have also been added.
The driver is expected to make his first appearance at the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Authorities confirmed that the driver was arrested after being discharged from hospital, where he had been receiving treatment following the collision.
Gauteng police said officers visited hospitals and the mortuary to verify the number of fatalities and injured victims as part of the ongoing investigation.
Three learners remain in hospital receiving medical care, while police continue probing the circumstances that led to the head-on collision.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo previously stated that the truck driver involved in the crash was unharmed, while the truck’s passenger sustained injuries and is also receiving treatment.
As the dashcam footage circulated, social media users were quick to share their interpretations of the incident.
One user wrote, “All vehicles tried to make room for this driver and he still went straight to the truck.”
Another commented, “There is a kind of mentality in taxi drivers and also other lower social classes in South Africa that says being rebellious and not following rules is okay. This is how these drivers justify overtaking where it does not make sense. The results are there for all to see.”
Not all reactions placed sole blame on the scholar transport driver.
Some users questioned the actions of the truck driver, with one comment reading, “The truck driver must be arrested. He could have stopped. This is an 80km/h zone. Why was he driving so fast in a small road with so much traffic? Yes, the taxi driver is wrong, but the truck driver could have had ubuntu and stopped.”
Others were more blunt in their condemnation. “He just killed those kids. That taxi driver must never drive again,” one X user wrote, while another added, “He made sure that he saved himself.”
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