Heartbreak on highway of death
A SOMBRE mood prevailed at the Waterbus sports ground in Pongola yesterday as hundreds of mourners gathered for the mass funeral of the schoolchildren who died last week.
Twenty people, 18 of whom were aged between 5 and 14, were killed when a tipper truck crashed into a bakkie packed with schoolchildren that was parked on the side of the N2.
The mass funeral was for 14 of those who died.
Tinny Simelane, whose 5-year-old daughter Thingo was among the victims, said she still could not believe that her daughter was dead.
Simelane, who worked in Johannesburg, said her brother had told her that she needed to return to Pongola.
“My brother did not say a word about Thingo. I only realised when I got home that my daughter had been killed in the accident. I’m still struggling to come to terms with the fact that she is gone,” said Simelane.
Sphephelo Nkonyeni, 19, the driver of the bakkie and his brothers Mduduzi, 14, and Sgcino, 6, also perished.
Their uncle, Bheki Nkonyeni, called on the Department of Transport to enforce stricter measures on the highway. “It is quite unfortunate that it is only when accidents like this one occur that the government will intervene.”
He described the brothers’ relationship as inseparable: “They loved one another, especially the little one. He was just the light of the family.”
Nkonyeni said his brother, Mzolo, the father of the three, had bought the bakkie to assist local schoolchildren to travel to and back from school.
Other victims included Syanda Mlangeni, 12, Syamthanda Dlamini, 9, Lwandile Mpilonhle Nkonde, 6, Sandiswa Nkosi, 8, Siphesihle Simelane, 7, Junior Thikazi, 5, Asanda Mhlongo, 13, Alwande Simelane, 9, Bandile Nyawo, 10, and Mpilenhle Makhangeza, 6.
The day before, three others were buried. They were 5-year-old twins Minenhle and Nothando and their brother, Thembelihle Ntshangase, 11.
Their grandfather, Nango Ntshangase, said he was worried about their mother and how she would cope with the loss of all her children. “We are just left with a huge void as a family. But my main concern is their mother who will be left with a huge gap in her life.”
Zinhle Mkhize, 28, a student teacher at Buhlebuzile Primary, who had been sitting next to the driver of the bakkie, and her two children, Kusaselihle Goba, 7, and Kusokuhle, 4, will be buried today in Manguzi, near Maputo.
Nompumelelo Nkosi, principal of the school, said Mkhize had just started her in-service training on August 29.
“In just less than a month she showed compassion and love towards her work. We were so shocked to have received the news, even more so because she was pregnant,” she said.
Waswa Godfrey, principal of Victorious Independent School, which most of the deceased attended, said they were in mourning.
“I can’t describe the heartbreak when I got to the scene and had to look out and count the familiar faces I knew. Out of the 20 deaths that were counted, the school shared 50% of the loss,” he said.
Godfrey said transportation for pupils had been a concern for years. “In 2017, I tried to raise my concern regarding school transportation with the local taxi association and the parents. However, the feedback I received was that bakkies were cheaper compared to taxis. So it became difficult for us to come to an immediate resolution.”
Cathy de Beer, principal of Sakhamuzi Primary School which lost two of its pupils, said the school transport was a frustrating issue: “There is little we can do since we only have a contract with the parents and not their mode of transport. This is caused by financial constraints because these parents need to take their children to school and they look for a cheaper option.”
Other schools that lost pupils were Ziqalele Primary, Thembokuhle Primary, and Siyathemba Primary.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, Police Minister Bheki Cele, Kwazulunatal Transport MEC Sipho Hlomuka, and Zululand District mayor Thulasizwe Buthelezi were at the funeral to lend support to the grieving families.
Buthelezi said trucks carrying coal during the day on the Piet Retief-pongola N2 stretch should be banned. “The truck issue needs serious intervention before more lives are lost,” he said.
Mbalula said his department had set aside R2.5 billion to widen the N2 highway. He said trucks for coal would have to move to rail as soon as possible.
SIYABONGA Zwane, 22, was among scores of residents in the emakhalathini area in Pongola who were on the scene where a tipper truck crashed into a stationary bakkie that was ferrying schoolchildren home last Friday.
Zwane has been unable to sleep, having flashbacks of the scene where 20 young people lost their lives.
“It was terrible, what I saw here was so, so terrible. The most painful part was that children were under the truck. I haven’t been able to sleep, thinking about those children,” he said.
The victims included the driver of the bakkie, Sphephelo Nkonyane, 19, and student teacher Zandile Mkhize, 28, who was pregnant.
A report by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula found that the driver of the truck, Sibusiso Siyaya, 28, had been travelling in the oncoming lane for approximately 1.2km when he crashed into the bakkie and its occupants.
Zwane said that although the incident had placed a spotlight on the trucking issues in the area, he said their plight was not a new one.
“This road is not safe, not just because of the accident. I was worried from before it happened. Each and every week there is an accident involving trucks. I wish the government would make a plan, especially when it comes to tipper trucks. If trucks stop carrying coal and it moves to rail, it will be good. We don’t want all trucks to be banned, because they contribute to our livelihoods, but some need to be banned for safety,” he said.
Traditional leader in the community, Mandla Nkosi, said it would be better if coal was transported by rail instead of trucks.
Adrian Chaning-pearce, a community member, said the strengthening of the Road Traffic Inspectorate and the municipal traffic department, as stated by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula this week, was long overdue, and that it had taken such a tragedy to get this under way.
“Compulsory checks of trucks and deployment of mobile brake testers are also way overdue. Getting errant operators off the road is critical to the success and saving of lives, but it needs policing. We need to see it (changes) happening in a sustainable manner, not just for the next month,” said Chaning-pearce.
emakhalathini ward 4 councillor Thembokuhle Ntshangase said he had been engaging with the government together with the community to reduce the carnage caused by trucks.
Ntshangase said: “This is very painful, to see young children dying like that. It is still very painful, and we cannot forget this accident. Each and every day the number of trucks increases in this area. There were 1 000 trucks moving around this area but now it’s 5000 a day so you can see that the number has increased. They (the government) have talked about the visibility of police along the road. That is something that is going to help us to eliminate such accidents.”
Bhekinkosi Jacob Twala, acting mayor of Pongola Municipality, who was at the funeral on Friday of three siblings, 5-year-old twins Notando and Minenhle and Thembelihle, 10, said intervention in road safety was a priority.
“We are very shocked, and our reaction is to intervene. Road safety comes first. As of (yesterday), you will see more traffic officers and RTI (Road Traffic Inspectorate) on the road until Sanral (SA National Roads Agency Limited) completes the extension of the road by 2024. It’s our responsibility as the Pongola Municipality to see to it that law enforcers are visible, and roadblocks on our roads must be present.
“The N2 road passes through the homestead, many people and many cars move up and down,” said Twala.
Simon Zwane, spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), said authorities would work around the clock on the roadway with immediate effect.
“The province will deploy officers on the road to ensure visibility and the national traffic police will assist at intervals because they work 24 hours. There were also military police visible on the road. We’ll maintain visibility.
“RTI will also deploy mobile testing centres to test for roadworthiness of trucks. Long-term, we’re looking at having certain loads on trucks moved to rail,” said Zwane.