A school bus with seventy-six learners plunges into the Westdene dam, killing forty-two

Date: 27 Mar 1985
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

A school bus with seventy-six learners plunges into the Westdene dam, killing forty-two

In the second worst bus accident in South African history, a double decker school bus with seventy-six learners of Hoërskool Vorentoe plunged into the Westdene Dam .The children were on their way to their homes when the driver blacked out as he was driving along the wall of the Westdene Dam. The bus then swerved through the barrier and plunged into the dam. Residents, teachers and other pupils risked their lives to try and save the children, however, 42 of them died. It took police several hours to recover the bodies of the deceased children. The bus driver survived and was exonerated in the subsequent inquiry. Most of the children who died were buried at Westpark Cemetery.

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How we know this

01Cyclopaedia.net, Westdene dam disaster, from Cyclopaedia.net, [online], Available at en.cyclopaedia.net [Accessed: 05 March 2014]
02Sapa, (2003), Dam plunge the third such tragedy in 18 years, from Iol News, 4 May [online], Available at www.iol.co.za [Accessed: 07 March 2012]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, March 23). A school bus with seventy-six learners plunges into the Westdene dam, killing forty-two. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0080360

South African History Online (2012) 'A school bus with seventy-six learners plunges into the Westdene dam, killing forty-two', South African History Online, 23 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0080360 (Accessed: 22 July 2026).

South African History Online, A school bus with seventy-six learners plunges into the Westdene dam, killing forty-two [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0080360, (accessed 22 July 2026).

"A school bus with seventy-six learners plunges into the Westdene dam, killing forty-two." South African History Online, 23 Mar. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0080360. Accessed 22 July 2026.

South African History Online. "A school bus with seventy-six learners plunges into the Westdene dam, killing forty-two." South African History Online. March 23, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0080360.