At least 11 schoolchildren were killed on Monday morning when a minibus collided with a truck in a city south of Johannesburg, South African media reported.
Five other pupils sustained "critical injuries" in the incident in the industrial city of Vanderbijlpark and were en route to a hospital for urgent medical care, public broadcaster the South African Broadcasting Corporation said.
Emergency services are on the scene.
South Africa has a bad road safety record, which the government is trying to address.
Last year the country recorded 11,418 road deaths, according to data released last week, about 6% lower than 2024's number.
The transport ministry says reckless driving, including speeding and drink-driving, is among the major causes of road deaths.
Last week Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said it was time to change the law to scrap the current legal alcohol limit when driving in favour of a zero-tolerance approach.
