Sapa reports the truck company whose driver killed 12 people in a crash last month, has donated R120,000 to the families.
“Spiros, the owners of the truck that was involved in an accident
with a minibus taxi on 3 October 2014 between Volksrust and Standerton...
yesterday donated R120,000 to the 12 families of the people who died in that
crash,” it said in a statement.
“[Department] representatives were part of the entourage that met
with the representatives of the 12 bereaved families during the presentation of
R10,000 to each of the 12 families.”
It said all the families, most residing in KwaZulu-Natal, were
transported to the scene of the accident for a short prayer before meeting
Spiros representatives in Standerton.
Speaking on behalf of the families, Thami Khumalo thanked
government for its support since the accident.
“He also appreciated the goodwill shown by Spiros for the donations
to the families saying they did not expect anything from the truck company
considering the circumstances surrounding the crash,” the department said.
Spiros’ advocate Hennie Keyter said the company donated to the
families because it was grieving with them.
“We want to assure everyone that it is our responsibility as truck
owners to ensure that our drivers are fit and have the right attitude to be on
the road,” Keyter said in the statement.
“This is the beginning. We are joining hands with government to
deal with bad driver behaviour on our roads. We will support all initiatives
aimed at promoting road safety.”
Six others were injured when the taxi and a truck collided head-on
on the R23 between Perdekop and Standerton.
According to the department, the minibus failed to stop at a “stop
and go” construction site. The driver did not have the right of way and was
driving along a single lane road, when the two vehicles collided.
The department later said the driver was arrested for having an
allegedly fake licence. His bail was denied on October 6.
Councillor Busisiwe Sikhonde of Lekwa Municipality, speaking on
behalf of MEC Vusi Shongwe, said in the statement on Friday that traffic
officers must not turn a blind eye to reckless and negligent driving.
“It is the responsibility of each and every taxi or truck owner to
teach their drivers road safety and the dangers of disobeying traffic
rules.”
Compare this to the legal ducking and diving by Gregory Govender, owner of Sagekal Logisitcs who appointed young Sanele May from Swaziland with fake papers and no enough driver training to know the difference between an exhaust brake and an engine brake.
Sanele killed 24 people when the Volvo he was driving careened through a busy intersection at the botton of Fields Hill. The case of culpable homicides against him has been dragging on for a year and a month now and judge Shyam Giyanda postponed it again yesterday to November 28, after prosecutor Alistair Walters told the court he could not get hold of all the families of the dead to get their input into the guilty plea as is legally required.
May had been expected to plead guilty to 24 counts of culpable
homicide, but in terms of the law, when any plea bargain deal is struck, the
State is required to consult the victims’ families.
On the evening of September 5 last year, in rush-hour traffic,
May’s truck smashed into four minibus taxis and two cars at an intersection at
the bottom of Fields Hill in Pinetown.
Twenty-two people were killed at the scene. Two died later in
hospital.
May has been in custody ever since, and was previously denied bail
in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court.
Initially, he was charged with 24 counts of murder, but this was
changed to 24 culpable homicide charges.