Sibusiso Siyaya, the truck driver charged with culpable homicide after a gruesome crash at Pongola in September last year, has been denied bail in the Pongola Magistrate’s Court.
There was a public outcry after the crash claimed 20 lives including 18 schoolchildren who were being transported home.
The truck allegedly crashed head-on into the bakkie in which the children were being transported.
Following the crash, residents blockaded the N2, saying they had been complaining about problems with heavy vehicles for some time.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara says, “The court found that the state had proven its case that Siyaya was a flight risk who might abscond if released on bail. The court found it was not in the interest of justice to grant bail to Siyaya and he was thus refused. The matter was adjourned to September 17th for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decision and further investigations.”
