The scene of the crash between Pongola and Itshelejuba on 16 September 2022. A total 20 people died. Photo: Paramedics, SAPS and Firefighters South Africa
The truck driver who ploughed into a bakkie transporting school children – killing them all – has been convicted of 20 counts of murder.
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The KwaZulu-Natal High Court on Tuesday convicted Sibusiso Siyaya of the murder charges as well as reckless and negligent driving and failure to perform duties of a driver after an accident relating to the incident in Pongola in September 2022.
The matter was remanded to Wednesday for sentence proceedings.
Two adults died; the rest were children between the ages of five and 12.
Siyaya was denied bail last year after the Pongola Magistrate’s Court found the state had proven its case that the truck driver was a flight risk who might abscond if released on bail.
The court also found that it was not in the interest of justice to grant him bail, and bail was thus refused.
During his court appearances in January, Siyaya also opposed the media’s application to film or photograph the proceedings of his case, saying he feared for his safety and retaliation from the community.
ALSO READ: Pongola horror crash: Case against truck driver postponed for bail hearing
Preliminary indications pointed to human error and failure to adhere to the rules of the road as the causes of the accident.
The 28-year-old handed himself over to police after allegedly fleeing from the scene of the accident.
This comes a week after a traffic officer was killed while on duty along the N4 toll road near Komatipoort.
According to Mpumalanga’s acting MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Busisiwe Shiba, the 58-year-old male was hit by a truck he was trying to stop while he was performing his regular duties.
“It is alleged the truck driver failed to stop at the scene. The police and traffic officers are in pursuit of the suspect,” Shiba said.
“Without casting any aspersions on these crashes, we want those who may be in the wrong to face the full consequences of their actions. The investigators must help us determine what really went wrong so that we may address it.”
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Additional reporting by Faizel Patel and Kyle Zeeman.
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