Bus tragedy is wake-up call

The horror of the Limpopo bus crash on Sunday night that claimed at least 43 lives has left many shocked and searching for answers.

- Mandla Mthembu

The bus was reportedly travelling from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape carrying passengers to Harare, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Among the wreckage, one detail sparked outrage: boxes of antiretroviral drugs and other prescription medications were discovered.

There was apparently no documentation for the medical cargo and it was unclear whether the transportation of the drugs was legal or who the intended recipient was, according to officials.

For many, this discovery became a rallying point for outrage - directed not at the system that failed, but at foreign nationals accused of looting public health care resources.

But this narrative, while emotionally charged, is dangerous. It ignores the rot at the core of our health care crisis: corruption, mismanagement and political complicity.

To understand why our clinics run dry and our hospitals crumble, we must look beyond scapegoats and confront the real villains - like businessman Hangwani Maumela and the Gauteng government officials who enabled him.