Truck driver in Pongola crash abandons bail
SIBUSISO Siyaya, the man who was behind the wheel of the truck that ploughed into a bakkie on the N2 near Pongola, killing 20 people, made his second appearance in the Pongola Magistrate’s Court yesterday and abandoned his application for bail.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the matter was postponed to October 25 for further investigations.
Reacting to the court appearance, the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Sipho Hlomuka said this case was important to the people of Pongola as tensions were still high in the community.
The Department of Transport said Siyaya was facing 20 counts of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving.
“Additional charges might be added once the investigation is complete.”
Hlomuka said drivers needed to take responsibility for their actions on the road.
He added that truck owners too must be held accountable for the condition of the vehicles and the behaviour of their drivers.
“We are monitoring this case very closely. These developments are noted; and we hope they will assist in finalising this case sooner. The families of the victims need closure and we hope with the speedy finalisation of the case they will be able to accept their loss,” said Hlomuka.
Most victims were remembered at a mass funeral in Pongola over the weekend, while others were buried separately in Ngwavuma in KZN and Gauteng.
During the funeral, Hlomuka announced that a number of interventions were to be put in place to deal with truck-related road carnage, including widening of the N2 in Pongola, building a monument for the pupils and deploying enforcement teams to deal with compliance on the road, with a focus on truck drivers.
The department said they would use October Transport Month to focus on trucks, by conducting random assessments of vehicles and checks on documentation of drivers, fitness of drivers and their conduct on the road.
Hlomuka urged all road users to take responsibility on the road as schools were set to close for the end of term and there would be a lot of traffic on the roads.