Pongola truck driver sentenced to 20 years

The 30-year-old truck driver convicted of 20 counts of murder for the tragic Pongola crash in 2022, has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.

The sentence was handed down by the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) High Court sitting in Pongola on Thursday.
Sibusiso Siyaya was convicted of murder, reckless and negligent driving, as well as failure to perform the duties of a driver after an accident.

He was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment for the murders (all taken as one for sentencing), three years for reckless and negligent driving, and a further six years for failure to perform the duties of a driver after an accident.

The court ordered that the sentences for reckless and negligent driving and failure to perform the duties of a driver run concurrently, resulting in the effective sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment

After the accident, which occurred on a Friday afternoon in September 2022, it was revealed that Siyaya had been involved in a truck blockade on the N2 earlier in the day and was fleeing the police at the time of the incident.

The bakkie into which the truck ploughed was transporting 18 schoolchildren and one teacher home from school, as well as the driver of the vehicle.

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