The Pongola truck driver, Sibusiso Siyaya, was convicted and sentenced on Thursday for a horrific accident that resulted in the death of 20 people, most of whom were children.
The Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) High Court in Pongola handed down a 20-year direct imprisonment sentence to Siyaya for 20 counts of murder, as well as charges of reckless and negligent driving and failure to perform duties of a driver after an accident.
Siyaya, who was employed as a heavy motor vehicle driver for a company transporting coal from Mpumalanga to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal in KZN, was involved in the tragic incident on 16 September 2022.
While traveling the route between the mines in Mpumalanga and KZN, he drove recklessly, overtaking several vehicles over the double barrier center median and onto the oncoming lane, leading to a head-on collision with a motor vehicle carrying 20 passengers, predominantly schoolchildren.
[ State To Oppose Bail For KZN Cop Charged With Girlfriend’s Murder ]
Following the collision, Siyaya fled the scene but was later arrested. The legal proceedings saw the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) presenting a strong case with the evidence of 12 witnesses, including testimonies from expert witnesses, onboard CCTV video clips, GPS evidence, and victim impact statements compiled by the family members of the deceased.
The devastating impact of the accident was highlighted through the victim impact statements, with family members expressing profound loss and emotional trauma.
The court, considering the gravity of the situation, sentenced Siyaya to 14 years imprisonment for the murders, three years for reckless and negligent driving, and six years for failure to perform the duties of a driver after an accident.
The concurrent running of the latter two sentences resulted in an effective 20-year imprisonment term, accompanied by the cancellation of Siyaya’s driver’s license.
The outcome of this case has been described as precedent-setting, and the efforts of the prosecution and other stakeholders have been commended by the NPA.
Catch up with the latest news from The Times Post on WhatsApp by following our channel. Click here to join.
Kindly follow @thetimespost on Instagram. On X (Twitter), follow @thetimespost2.
