Eastern Cape Transport MEC, Weziwe Tikana, will lead a memorial service on Thursday for the 36 people who perished in a bus accident near Willowavale over the weekend.
Nine people miraculously survived when a passenger bus plunged into a dry river near the Congo Bridge near Nkelekethe Village on Saturday morning.
Transport Ministry spokesperson, Ncedo Kumbaca, said on Monday the families of the deceased visited mortuaries in Butterworth, Cradock, Graaff Reinet and East London.
He said the Department will then hold a second memorial service for the victims of the accident that occurred on the R61 between Craddock and Graaff-Reinet on Friday 4 September 2015 in Queenstown.
"This is a very difficult period for all of us in the Province and we would like to convey our condolences to the affected families and wish those that are still in hospital a speedy recovery," said MEC Tikana.
"We call upon all our drivers to exercise caution at all times. Those who are driving long distance vehicles, must always find time to rest to avoid fatigue, which we suspect in some of the accidents that occurred over the weekend," she added.
Meanwhile, the Road Accident Fund has stepped in to assist the bereaved families.
CEO, Dr Eugene Watson described the weekend bus accident as the worst road tragedy in recent memory in the region.
He echoed President Jacob Zuma’s call for road users to be extremely careful on South Africa’s roads and to strictly follow the rules of the road.
The RAF's Eastern Cape marketing manager, Bongiwe Tyopo, said they had already been in contact with the families of the victims of the two accidents to offer initial support.
She said these include assisting people with burial costs and funeral arrangements.
Tyopo said later on they would assist the families to lodge claims with the RAF.
