The truck driver in the deadly Pongola crash that claimed the lives of 20 people, majority being school children, has been found guilty of murder.
After a three-week trial, the KwaZulu Natal High Court, sitting in Pongola, convicted Sibusiso Siyaya on 20 counts of murder.
The incident took place on September 16, 2022, where a total of 18 children and two adults died when the bakkie they were travelling in crashed head-on into a truck.
Siyaya, 28, was initially charged with culpable homicide, and then murder.
According to the State indictment Siyaya was employed as a heavy motor vehicle driver for a company that transported coal from Mpumalanga to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal in KwaZulu-Natal.
Speaking about the conviction on Tuesday, the National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Natasha Kara said in addition to murder, Siyaya was found guilty of reckless and negligent driving and failure to perform duties of a driver after an accident.
According to the post mortem, the deceased, with the youngest being five years old, died from various injuries, including blunt head and chest trauma and head injuries.
Following the deadly crash, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula visited the crash site and released a report stating that the truck driver was reckless because he overtook on a barrier line and drove in the oncoming lane for 1.2 km, endangering the lives of motorists.
The matter was adjourned to Wednesday where sentencing proceedings are expected to take place.
IOL News