Mbabane – A public transport driver servicing Mbabane-Maduma route was arrested on Monday for overloading where he was transporting 33 passengers on board.
Samkeliso Shiba appeared at the Mbabane Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with the offence of contravening the Road Traffic Act of 2007.
Shiba exceeded the passenger limit of 15 with the quantum he drove as he had more than double with additional 18 passengers onboard.
Shiba was found guilty of the offence by Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi.
In a stern warning against the reckless public transport practices, Nhlabatsi handed down on Shiba a E2 000 fine or six months imprisonment sentence.
She said he was caught in the act of dangerously overloading his Toyota Quantum with the extra passengers.
The court heard how Shiba’s kombi, designed for a significantly lower capacity, was packed to the brim, raising serious safety concerns. During sentencing, Magistrate Nhlabatsi directly challenged Shiba, questioning why he was “bargaining with people’s lives” by operating such a dangerously overloaded vehicle.
In his defence, Shiba said he was “helping the people since there was no other transport available.”
This plea, however, did not sway the magistrate, who emphasized the paramount importance of passenger safety over perceived convenience.
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