Durban — The KZN Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison is closely monitoring the case of the truck driver charged with 20 counts of culpable homicide after he collided with a bakkie and killed 20 people.
This was revealed by Transport MEC Sipho Hlomuka, on Monday. He said the case was important to the people of Pongola, with tensions still running high in the community.
Two weeks ago, 28-year-old Siyabonga Siyaya’s truck collided with a bakkie that was carrying 18 pupils in Godlwayo on the N2 highway in northern KwaZulu-Natal killing 20 people, the youngest being only 5 years old.
The mass funeral of 13 pupils and the driver of the bakkie who died in the head-on crash was held at the Waterbus Sports Ground in Pongola at the weekend while others were buried separately in Ingwavuma and Gauteng.
Hlomuka said: “The families of the victims need closure and we hope with the speedy finalisation of the case they will be able to accept their loss. Drivers need to take responsibility for their actions on the road. Truck owners, too, must be held accountable for the condition of the vehicles and the behaviour of their drivers.”
On Monday, Siyaya – who made his second appearance in the Pongola Magistrates' Court – abandoned his bail application. He faces 20 counts of culpable homicide.
KZN National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the matter was postponed to October 22 for further investigations.
During his first court appearance last week, Siyaya stated that he intended to apply for bail and requested Legal Aid. The matter was set down for a bail application and he was remanded in custody.
The media was ordered not to take Siyaya’s pictures after he raised safety concerns should he be granted bail. However, in court on Monday his attorney stated that Siyaya was no longer pursuing his bail application.
At the previous appearance, the State told the court that it would oppose his bail application, stating that he tried to evade justice on the day of the accident after he fled the scene.
According to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, Siyaya violated most of the traffic laws – driving at an excessive speed, overtaking on a double barrier line and driving in the on-coming traffic lane for nearly 1.2km.
Hlomuka said part of October Transport Month would focus on trucks' random assessments, vehicles’ assessments, documentation of drivers, the fitness of drivers and their conduct on the road.
The report by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) which was released last Thursday stated that Siyaya was the major contributing factor to the fatal crash.
On the day of the incident, the police launched a manhunt after Siyaya allegedly fled the scene. He later handed himself over to the police.
Initially, the reported death toll stood at 21, however, it was amended to 20 after the department cited that one body was counted twice.
In 2013, a truck driver of Sagekal Logistics, whose vehicle crashed into four taxis and a car at an intersection at the bottom of Fields Hill in Pinetown, killing 24 people, was sentenced to eight years behind bars.
Sanele Goodness May, from Swaziland, then 23, was arrested on September 6 for killing 24 people.
May was initially charged with culpable homicide, but this was later changed to 24 counts of murder and a charge of reckless or negligent driving.
He pleaded guilty to 31 charges that included 24 counts of culpable homicide.
May spent 14 months at Westville Prison before being sentenced in the Durban High Court in 2014 to eight years behind bars.
Daily News