School transport crash death toll rises to 14 as driver appears in court
Culpable homicide
The Gauteng Department of Education has released the names of the 12 pupils who were killed in a scholar transport crash in Vanderbijlpark.
Image: Supplied
TWO more pupils have died following the Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash, raising the death toll to 14.
The 22-year-old driver now faces multiple culpable homicide charges and is due to appear in court.
Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said the 22-year-old driver of the scholar transport was now facing 14 counts of culpable homicide, as well as charges of reckless and negligent driving, after the latest deaths were confirmed in the early hours of this morning.
The suspect is expected to appear before the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate Court later today.
The horrific accident, which sent shockwaves across Gauteng and the country, involved a scholar transport vehicle and a truck. Fourteen pupils
have died in the crash.
Masondo previously said the driver of the truck involved in the crash escaped unharmed, while the truck’s passenger sustained injuries and was receiving treatment in hospital.
Investigations are ongoing as police continue to obtain witness statements and assess the events leading up to the crash. The cause of the accident has not yet been officially confirmed.
The tragedy has renewed calls for improved scholar transport safety measures across South Africa, with calls for stricter enforcement of traffic laws and improved oversight of learner transport services.