Pongola accident: Truck driver remanded in custody

Sibusiso Siyaya (28), the truck driver who killed 18 school children and two adults, was remanded in custody by the Pongola Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

The children were returning from school when the bakkie they were travelling in was hit by the truck he was driving on the N2, between Pongola and Tshelimnyama, in the north of the province last week.

He faces 20 counts of culpable homicide.

It took hours for rescue services personnel to extricate the bodies from the bakkie, which was trapped under the truck. The final report on the accident from EMS spokesperson Robert McKenzie came in at around 8 pm on the day of the incident.

Siyaya reportedly fled the scene, but later handed himself over to the police.

NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the case was remanded to September 26, 2022 for a bail application.

Pongola residents have blamed the government for not deploying law enforcement officers on that section of the N2.

Adrian Chaning-Pearce said due to the increase in coal demand and the destruction of the railway system, they have seen an increase in trucks on the N2 stretch between Ermelo and Richards Bay.

Chaning-Pearce said:

We have seen an exponential increase in the number of trucks, specifically side-tipper trucks on this road. Many of these guys [drivers] are driving illegally and they often disobey road rules and there is no law enforcement on this road. That is causing all the problems.

Another resident, Jabu Hansen, also blamed the government for not enforcing the law on the N2.

The death toll from the accident had been confirmed as 20 by the police after forensic experts discovered that one body had been counted twice, according to EMS rescue services.

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Acting KZN Premier Nomagugu Simelane together with MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Sipho Hlomuka and acting Education MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi on Monday dedicated the whole day to meeting with pupils and the families of the victims of the crash, which claimed the lives of 18 pupils, a teacher and the bakkie driver in Phongolo on Friday.

A visit was undertaken to the accident scene with a team of experts. Preliminary indications point to human error and failure to adhere to the rules of the road as the cause of the accident.

KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has called on the courts to deliver justice to the victims of the horrific crash.

Speaking during an interview from the New York Climate Week, where she is leading the provincial delegation, Dube-Ncube said:

This is one of the most tragic accidents in our province in recent times. What is painfully sad is to learn that this accident has taken the lives of so many of our young people whose future and that of their families is now destroyed. Sadly, it is becoming clearer by the day that increasingly, human factors are playing a major role in road fatalities in our province which is cause for major concern.

“We commend the SAPS and the community for working together to facilitate the arrest of the truck driver after fleeing the scene. We therefore call on the Justice Department to act swiftly to ensure that justice is delivered for the sake of the victims and their families,” added Dube-Ncube.