‘Miracle baby’: Mother of sole survivor of tragic N3 crash found

The mother of a “miracle baby”  who survived the deadly N3 crash which resulted in the deaths of 17 people has been found in Gauteng.

The one-year-old girl was travelling with her grandparents from Johannesburg to Ladysmith when the accident happened on Monday.

Her grandparents and four other members of her family were killed in the accident.

‘Miracle Baby’

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, said authorities had been struggling to locate the family.

The MEC’s spokesperson, Ndabezinhle Sibiya the little girl’s family was found in Thembisa on Wednesday.

“The name of the miracle baby is Luyanda Sigubudu (1 year and 8 months). She is currently in hospital. And her mother is a 19-year-old Nqobile Sgubudu and is currently waiting for her matric results.

“The surviving members of the family are Sanelisiwe (26) and 23-year-old Sbuselaphi.”

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Government offers support

Sibiya says the department will continue to provide support to the family during this difficult period.

“We want to assure them that we will do everything in our power to ease the pain they are feeling and the burden on their shoulders.”

Investigations

The preliminary investigations into the deadly crash on the N3 toll at Van Reenen’s Pass, involving a minibus and a truck, found that the taxi swerved into the oncoming traffic lane and collided head-on with the truck.

There were 18 occupants in the minibus taxi, including the driver.  While an initial death toll of 18 had been reported by authorities, this figure was revised down to 17 by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport.

Duma said the taxi, affiliated with Uncedo Taxi Association, was travelling from Qumbu in the Eastern Cape to Johannesburg on the N3 when the crash happened.

“The cause of the minibus swerving is unknown at this stage, but we suspect heavy rainfall, speed, vehicle defect or driver negligence.”

Driver identified

Duma said the investigation established that the truck driver was Zimbabwean and that the truck belongs to Pangolin Logistics.

“We wish to report that according to our quick investigation, the truck driver is a foreign national, Mr N Mbedezi, a 37-year-old from Zimbabwe.”

Duma said arrangements are being made by the owner and Uncedo Taxi Association for family members to travel to Ladysmith to identify their loved ones.

The Eastern Cape Department of Transport said the death of the 17 people is a blow felt in the province. 

Provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said though the accident occurred in KZN, the impact has been felt by families in Eastern Cape as they mourn the deaths of their loved ones. 

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