A bus has crashed in a mountainous region in the north of South Africa, killing at least 42 people.
The vehicle veered off a steep mountain road on the N1 highway near the town of Makhado in Limpopo province on Sunday evening, before tumbling down an embankment and landing upside down.
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The vehicle was travelling from Gqeberha in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province to Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Emergency crews worked through the night to pull victims from the wreckage and transport survivors to nearby hospitals.
More than 30 injured passengers received medical treatment. Authorities said some people may still be trapped inside the overturned bus.
According to public broadcaster SABC, the dead included 18 women, 17 men and seven children.
A 10-month-old baby was among the victims, Violet Mathy, a transport official for the Limpopo province, told Newzroom Afrika.
The road, a major highway connecting South Africa to Zimbabwe, remained closed in both directions on Monday as rescue operations continued.
Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba visited the crash site before meeting survivors in hospital.
“Losing so many lives in one incident is painful beyond words,” she said, offering condolences to families in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Authorities are investigating what caused the driver to lose control, with initial assessments pointing to possible fatigue or mechanical failure as potential factors.
The provincial government is providing counselling support to survivors while working with diplomatic missions from Zimbabwe and Malawi to assist bereaved families.
South Africa’s roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with thousands of people dying in crashes each year.
Vehicles carrying Palestinian detainees left Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank for Khan Younis, where crowds await the return of their loved ones. Nearly 2,000 prisoners are to be freed under the Hamas-Israel deal, many of whom were ‘forcibly disappeared’ from Gaza during the war, according to the UN.
Who: Nigeria vs Benin What: CAF qualifiers for FIFA 2026 World Cup Where: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria When: Tuesday at 6pm (16:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
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Nigeria host Benin in the final matchday of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) first round, looking to steal direct qualification for next year’s tournament from the Group C leaders.
The Super Eagles’ task is momentous: Benin lead them by three points and by two on goal difference, making the fixture a must-win for the Nigerians if they want to have any chance of qualification, either as the group winners or as the runners-up who could potentially compete in November’s interconfederation playoff for a possible 10th African World Cup spot.
For Benin, the calculus is straightforward: win or draw against the three-time African champions and the Cheetahs make history and qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time. Even a loss against Nigeria – and if other Group C contenders South Africa draw or lose their final fixture – could still seal direct qualification for the team from the West African nation.
Here is all to know before the highly anticipated, final matchday showdown between Nigeria and Benin:
Where do Nigeria and Benin currently stand in Group C?
Late last month, Benin drew level with then-Group C leaders South Africa after they received a three-point deduction from FIFA for fielding an extra player in an earlier fixture and then took over the standings lead on Friday when Banfa Banfa played out a highly disappointing 0-0 draw against last-placed Zimbabwe on the ninth matchday.
Benin and Nigeria both won their matchday 9 fixtures on Friday, beating Rwanda (1-0) and Lesotho (2-1) respectively.
A Benin victory in Uyo would guarantee them a maiden World Cup appearance, while anything less could allow one of their two group rivals to leapfrog them.
Tuesday’s matchday 10 fixtures are the final group matches and will be played at the same time.
Benin: 17 points (+5 GD)
South Africa: 15 points (+3 GD)
Nigeria: 14 points (+3 GD)
Rwanda: 11 points (-1 GD)
Lesotho: 9 points (-4 GD)
Zimbabwe: 5 points (-6 GD)
Benin are in the most favourable position in Group C for direct qualification into the FIFA 2026 World Cup finals [File: Sia Kambou/AFP]
Why was the Nigerian team’s plane forced to make an emergency landing?
The plane carrying the Nigeria team from South Africa to Uyo for their final World Cup qualifier was forced to make an emergency landing in Angola on Saturday, their media representatives said.
The aircraft took off from Polokwane in South Africa and made a scheduled refuelling stop in the Angolan capital, Luanda, before heading for southern Nigeria.
But 25 minutes into that journey, the pilot was forced to return to Luanda “after a heavy crack on the aircraft’s windshield distorted what had started as a smooth flight”, the Super Eagles’ representative said.
Why were South Africa stripped of World Cup qualifying points in Group C?
Last month, South Africa were stripped of three points in their World Cup qualifying campaign for fielding an ineligible player, denting their hopes of reaching next year’s finals and handing a World Cup lifeline to the other Group C contenders, Benin and Nigeria.
FIFA said its disciplinary committee had found South Africa guilty of playing midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a 2-0 home win over Lesotho in March when he should have sat out the qualifier after two cautions in previous group games.
Lesotho have been awarded the match 3-0 and South Africa stripped of the points.
At the time of the announcement on September 29, South Africa were still top of the standings with 14 points, but only on goal difference from Benin with two games left. In the penultimate group fixtures, South Africa played out a draw and Benin won, enabling Benin (17) to lead Bafana Bafana (15) by two points with one matchday remaining.
When was the last time the two sides met?
Benin defeated Nigeria 2-1 in a FIFA World Cup fixture on June 10, 2024, at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Raphael Onyedika put Nigeria ahead in the 27th minute, but two Benin goals before half-time from Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie’s match-winner were enough to secure the three points for the Cheetahs.
Benin’s #9 Steve Mounie celebrates with teammates after beating Nigeria 2-1 in the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifier Group C match at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on June 10, 2024 [Issouf Sanogo/AFP]
How many African teams will qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
African World Cup qualifying is arranged into nine groups of six nations.
The nine Confederation of African Football (CAF) group winners secure direct entry to the World Cup 2026, while the four best runners-up will participate in an intercontinental playoff for the possibility of securing a 10th spot at the tournament.
Of the nine African groups, five teams have already qualified for next year’s World Cup finals in North America: Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia. The remaining four will be decided on Tuesday.
CAF World Cup 2026 qualification dates:
First round (November 15, 2023, to October 14, 2025): Group stage features 54 teams.
Second round (November 10-18, 2025): The four best group runners-up play in a semifinal-final format. Winners compete in an interconfederation playoff for a potential 10th African World Cup spot.
Will Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen play against Benin?
Nigeria recalled previously injured star forward Victor Osimhen for their last FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho on Friday, and he will be on the pitch against Benin on Tuesday.
Osimhen, who plays for Turkish giants Galatasaray, says Nigeria enter the must-win encounter as underdogs.
“Against Benin, we will be underdogs, and Benin are the favourite to win. Because we have been playing a bad game for our standards, it just doesn’t come together,” he said.
“We cannot promise our fans much. But we will fight. This group keeps on giving – it doesn’t stop. We hope it will be our turn to be on top on Tuesday if we play our part as players. I don’t want to talk much about other things, but I am not happy [with] how we represent our country.”
Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen heads the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Africa qualifiers Group C match against Lesotho in Polokwane, South Africa, on October 10, 2025 [Phill Magakoe/AFP]
Team news: Nigeria
In a big blow for coach Eric Chele, Ademola Lookman, the 2024 African Ballon d’Or winner, will be unavailable against Benin due to suspension.
Lookman, who plays for Italian club side Atalanta Bergamo, was booked for the second time in two matches in their 2-0 win against Lesotho on Friday, triggering a one-match ban for the talented forward.
Key defender Ola Aina will miss his second straight match for the Super Eagles as he recovers from an injury sustained against South Africa on September 9.
Chele will likely play his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Osimhen as the lone striker.
Chadian referee Alhadi Mahamat shows a yellow card in the 64th minute to Nigeria’s forward #7 Ademola Lookman, left, during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Africa qualifiers Group C match against Lesotho in Polokwane on October 10, 2025 [Phill Magakoe/AFP]
Team news: Benin
Coach Gernot Rohr will have a full squad available for selection against Nigeria.
Rohr regularly deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation with Mounie leading the line. Andreas Hountondji and Dossou will play key attacking roles just behind Mounie.
The backline of Tamimou Ouorou, Olivier Verdon, Yohan Roche and Mohamed Tijani is unchanged from their last match on Friday – a narrow 1-0 win over Rwanda in Kigali – with Marcel Dandjinou again the starting goalkeeper.
How many FIFA World Cup finals have Nigeria reached?
Nigeria have been to six FIFA World Cup finals but missed out on the most recent tournament in Qatar in 2022.
Nigeria and Benin have played 12 times across all competitions since 2004.
Nigeria have won nine times, while Benin have two victories.
The sides have played out one draw.
Last five matches
Nigeria
L-W-W-D-W (all competitions, last result on the right)
Benin
L-L-W-W-W
What the coaches had to say
Eric Chele, Nigeria head coach:
“The suspension [of Ademola Lookman] is unfortunate, but the team has the strength and character to win,” he said.
Gernot Rohr, Benin head coach:
“Yes, it will be a wonderful final in Uyo and it’s in our hands [to qualify for a historic first World Cup finals], which is unimaginable when you see Nigeria and South Africa behind us,” he said.
“But all can change in one game, the last game. So we are very humble and we know that we have to do it again, and it will be more difficult in Nigeria than in Rwanda. We know this, of course.”
Benin’s German head coach Gernot Rohr, who previously managed Nigeria from 2016 to 2021, is on the cusp of making history as the Cheetahs close in on their first FIFA World Cup finals appearance [File: Issouf Sanogo/AFP]
Israeli officials have confirmed that all 20 living captives have been released in Gaza. Under the terms of Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, this should trigger the release of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Hunger is neither a natural condition of humankind nor an unavoidable tragedy: it is the result of choices made by governments and economic systems that have chosen to turn a blind eye to inequalities – or even of promoting them.
The same global order that denies 673 million people access to adequate food also enables a privileged group of just 3,000 billionaires to hold 14.6 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP).
In 2024, the wealthiest nations helped drive the largest surge in military spending since the end of the Cold War, reaching $2.7 trillion that year. Yet they failed to deliver on their own commitment: to invest 0.7 percent of their GDP in concrete actions to promote development in poorer countries.
Today, we see situations not unlike those that prevailed 80 years ago, when the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations was created. Unlike then, however, we are not only witnessing the tragedies of war and hunger feeding into each other, but also facing the urgent climate crisis. And the international order established to address the challenges of 1945 is no longer sufficient to address today’s problems.
Global governance mechanisms must be reformed. We need to strengthen multilateralism, create investment flows that promote sustainable development, and ensure that states have the capacity to implement consistent public policies to fight hunger and poverty.
It is essential to include the poor in public budgets and the wealthy in the tax base. This requires tax justice and taxing the superrich, an issue we managed to include for the first time in the final declaration of the G20 Summit, held in November 2024, under Brazil’s Presidency. A symbolic but historic change.
We advocate for this practice around the world — and we are implementing it in Brazil. Our Parliament is about to approve substantial tax reform: for the first time in the country, there will be a minimum tax on the income of the wealthiest individuals, exempting millions of lower-income earners from paying income tax.
During our G20 Presidency, Brazil also proposed the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. Although recent, the initiative already has 200 members — 103 countries and 97 partner foundations and organisations. This initiative is not just about exchanging experiences, but about mobilising resources and securing commitments.
With this alliance, we want to enable countries to implement public policies that truly reduce inequality and ensure the right to adequate food. Policies that deliver rapid results, as seen in Brazil after we made the fight against hunger a government priority in 2023.
Official data released just a few days ago show that we have lifted 26.5 million Brazilians out of hunger since the beginning of 2023. In addition, Brazil has been removed, for the second time, from the FAO’s Hunger Map, as laid out in its global report on food insecurity. A map we would not have returned to if the policies launched during my first two terms (2003-10) and President Dilma Rousseff’s (2011-16) had not been abandoned.
Behind these achievements lie a set of coordinated actions on multiple fronts. We have strengthened and expanded our national income transfer programme, which now reaches 20 million households and supports 8.5 million children aged six and below.
We have increased funding for free meals in public schools, benefitting 40 million students. Through public food procurement, we have secured income for small-scale family farmers, while offering free, nutritious meals to those who truly need them. In addition, we have expanded the free supply of cooking gas and electricity to low-income households, freeing up room in family budgets to strengthen food security.
None of these policies, however, is sustainable without an economic environment that drives them. When there are jobs and income, hunger loses its grip. That is why we have adopted an economic policy that prioritises wage increases, leading to the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded in Brazil. And to the lowest level of per capita household income inequality.
Brazil still has a long way to go before achieving full food security for its entire population, but the results confirm that state action can indeed overcome the scourge of hunger. These initiatives, however, depend on concrete shifts in global priorities: investing in development rather than in wars; prioritising the fight against inequality instead of restrictive economic policies that for decades have caused massive concentration of wealth; and facing the challenge of climate change with people at its core.
By hosting COP30 in the Amazon next month, Brazil wants to show that the fight against climate change and the fight against hunger must go hand in hand. In Belem, we aim to adopt a Declaration on Hunger, Poverty, and Climate that acknowledges the profoundly unequal impacts of climate change and its role in worsening hunger in certain regions of the world.
I will also take these messages to the World Food Forum and to the meeting of the Council of Champions of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, events I will have the honour of attending today, the 13th, in Rome, Italy. These are messages that show that change is urgent and possible. For humanity, which created the poison of hunger against itself, is also capable of producing its antidote.
