Reckless driving led to deadly KZN truck crash- Mbalula

MINISTER of Transport Fikile Mbalula said yesterday the government wanted to migrate the transport of most goods from roads to rail in the next five years as this would decrease the large volume of trucks on the roads.

He added that the Transport Department also planned to increase the number of traffic officers deployed to hazardous areas and improve conditions of roads in partnership with the South National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).

He was speaking at the release of the report into the Pongola crash that claimed 20 lives, including 18 pupils, last week.

Mbalula said the report found that driver error on the part of the truck driver was the major factor in the cause of the crash.

He said that the driver of the truck that collided with a light delivery vehicle was driving recklessly, and the crash had nothing to do with the condition of the road.

“The driver of the truck overtook multiple vehicles (when) this was prohibited by no-overtaking lines. He was driving in the oncoming lane for approximately 1.2 km, vehicles had to swerve out of the way to avoid the vehicle.

“The truck driver did not make any attempt to return to his lane.”

He added the report, which was compiled by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), will be brought to the attention of the Director of Public Prosecutions as a criminal case of culpable homicide was being investigated by police.

The truck driver, Sibusiso Siyaya, 28, appeared in the Pongola Magistrate’s Court on Monday, and his case was postponed until September 26.

Mbalula also said that the driver of the light delivery vehicle had been transporting school pupils illegally.

“Regulation 250 of the the National Road Traffic Act of 1996 which came into effect on May 11, 2017, prohibits the transportation of schoolchildren or any other person in the goods compartment of a motor vehicle. This incident highlights the need for proper scholar transport, not just here in KwaZulu-Natal, but across South Africa.”

Mbalula said that a number of innovative solutions were being considered that would expedite the movement of cargo from road to rail on a number of corridors.

“The need to move the transport of goods from the roads, and reducing the amount of heavy duty vehicles on roads has become urgent and necessary

This migration process will take at least five years as we also need to engage with the rail sector.”

Mbalula added that Sanral had initiated interventions that would provide additional capacity on the road where the incident occurred by widening the existing roadway, bridges and culverts.

“This will go a long way in improving safety for all road users. The estimated cost of the project is R2.5 billion. Sanral will be ready with the design by the end of the year.”

He added that he had encouraged Transport MEC Sipho Hlomuka to invoke Section 50 of the National Road Traffic Act to deal with issues of negligent driving by truck drivers as this would allow the MEC to appoint an investigator to probe compliance and other issues.

DA leader Francois Rodgers said that while the party welcomed interventions aimed at curbing truck-related crashes in the Pongola area, the lawlessness of heavy-duty vehicle drivers was a province-wide crisis.

Rodgers added that given the government’s inability to act, the DA in KZN would be formulating a White Paper with proposed solutions to the overall transport challenges facing the province.

“We remain committed to fighting for safer roads in our province,” he said.