PUTCO to Deploy 500 Buses for ZCC Moria Easter Pilgrimage
PUTCO will operate approximately 500 buses for the Zion Christian Church’s Easter pilgrimage to Moria Holy City in Limpopo.
This marks the return of the significant religious event after a five-year break due to Covid-19 restrictions.
In a statement issued on Tuesday PUTCO said in the past years they would send out up to 800 buses for the pilgrimage. This year, the operation will proceed in phases, with around 50% of the usual scale.
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All buses serving this event will be from PUTCO’s newly upgraded fleet, featuring advanced safety and comfort innovations for passengers
“Additionally, PUTCO has enhanced its technology. The upgraded Monitoring Control Centre will now allow for real-time tracking of all buses using advanced GPS and live-feed cameras. This will ensure a smooth journey with early alerts and quick responses to any unusual situations on the roads,” said the statement
The operation begins in the early hours of 18 April 2025, with buses departing from regions across Gauteng and Mpumalanga, and returning on 21 April 2025.
Progress updates will be provided from key checkpoints.
“The South African Police Service (SAPS), under the leadership of Limpopo Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, will also share safety measures in place to protect residents, pilgrims, and businesses during this busy Easter period<” concluded the statement
High traffic volumes expected as ZCC pilgrims return to Moria
Huge volumes of traffic are expected on the roads leading to Limpopo during the Easter weekend as Zion Christian Church members head for the holy city of Moria following a five-year break brought about by the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
Limpopo MEC of Transport and Community Safety Suzan Mathye launched the 2025 Easter Road Safety at River Cross near Burgersfort in the Fetakgomo-Tubatse Local Municipality on Friday, with the theme “It Begins with Me”.
Mathye acknowledged that there is going to be a high traffic volume due to the other ZCC’s decision to resume their Easter pilgrimage after five years.
“We are anticipating huge traffic this year, hence we are going back to the drawing board to come up with extra safety measures,” she said.
Mathye said they have identified several roads that are hotspots for accidents and they will be focusing on them.
“Such roads are the N1 between Kranskop and Mokopane and Botlokwa, the R37 in the Burgersfort area, R36 between Mokgoloboto and Lenyenye in the Greater Tzaneen area, the R71 around Paledi Mall in Mankweng, R81 in the Mooketsi area and more.