‘Field’s truck driver papers fraudulent,’ claims owner

SAGEKAL Logistics owner, Gregory Govender, whose monster truck was involved in a horror crash at the bottom of Field’s Hill on 5 September, killing 23 people, has shifted the blame for the fatal crash onto the 23-year-old truck driver, Sanele May, saying May’s reports about failing brakes were inconsistent and that his papers were fraudulent.

May faces 22 counts of murder. Another victim of the crash died in hospital at the weekend, pushing the total to 23. It is not yet clear if a further charge of murder will be added to the list of charges against May.

Govender called a closed meeting with the press on Monday morning but failed to attend and was instead represented by Lisa Sukdev, the public relations officer for Sagekal Logistics. Govender’s absence was said to be due the ‘numerous death threats’ he had received over the weekend.
In lieu of his absence, Sukdev read from a statement written by Govender explaining his feelings towards the tragic accident that claimed the lives of 23 people and the investigation undertaken by an independent expert.

“Given the speculation in the media as to the road worthiness of the vehicle, I was advised that it was in the public’s interest to have the vehicle thoroughly examined by an independent expert,” Govender said in his statement.
The 18-wheeler is believed to have received its last service on Saturday, 31 August, the day the truck’s license expired. According to Govender, the company has always renewed the licenses for all its vehicles within the allotted 21-day period and, in his 12 years of owning the business, has not received a fine for operating an unlicensed vehicle.

Lawyer, Theasen Pillay was initially instructed by Govender to represent May, but has since stepped down and an indpendent attorney, Professor Mdletshe, has offered to represent the young driver.
Pillay was further instructed to verify May’s information and documents. “On Saturday 14 September it was established that Sanele’s South African traffic register certificate is fraudulent. The information was furnished by the licensing authority in Pietermaritzburg,” said Govender in his statement. According to Govender, Swaziland officials had verified that May’s public driving permit was also fraudulent.

Fields Hill has a mandatory stop for all trucks before the descent down Field’s Hill and all truck drivers must engage low gear before continuing down the hill.
“Sanele said the brakes were faulty while he was on the M13 and has unfortunately given inconsistent accounts of when the brakes are alleged to have failed. Nowhere in any of the reported accounts by Sanele is it claimed that he engaged in a low gear while descending the M13,” read the statement.

According to Stan Bezuidenhout, the forensic collision homicide reconstructionist hired by Govender to perform the independent examination, he was appointed shortly after the collision and it was his job to remain objective throught his investigation. He also demanded to audit Govender’s entire fleet as well as the truck that ploughed through the intersection at the base of Field’s Hill on Thursday 5 September.

“This is not the kind of thing I do because I enjoy it and it is my job to remain objective. The driver is required to stop and engage the lowest gear and then continue. The speed limit for a 16-ton truck on Field’s Hill is 60km/h. It was found that the truck was in fifth gear at the scene,” said Bezuidenhout.

Meanwhile, May appeared in court on Monday morning. The case was postponed to Tuesday 8 October. A bail application hearing was due to be heard on Wednesday, 18 September. This has now been moved to Tuesday 8 October to allow for verification of May’s address and further investigation. Support for May continues to grow on the social network platform, Facebook with many offering all kinds of support for the young man and his family. A campaign to collect items for the families of those who were killed and injured in the horror crash has also enjoyed massive support from a wide sector of the community.

May’s attorney Prof. Lindokuhle Mdletshe spoke to eNCA News regarding why the bail hearing had been postponed. View the video below to hear his media address.

Video by eNCA News