VANDERBIJLPARK, South Africa – The 22-year-old driver of a scholar taxi involved in a deadly crash at the ArcelorMittal steel plant in Vanderbijlpark has been charged with culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving. The accident claimed the lives of 12 schoolchildren.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said the driver was arrested after being discharged from hospital and is expected to appear in Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court within 48 hours. “Investigations are under way as police continue to obtain witness statements,” Masondo added.
The collision occurred on Monday when the scholar taxi collided with a truck. Authorities initially reported 13 fatalities, later revised to 12 following confirmation.
Government officials visited Hoërskool Vanderbijlpark, where some of the deceased pupils were enrolled. Other affected schools include Vaal High School, Oakwood Primary School, Vaal Triangle Primary School, Oliver Lodge Primary School, and Elshaddai Christian School.
Steve Mabona, spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Education, said all but one of the deceased children have been identified. “We are still trying to make sure that we identify that child, and we are working with the families,” Mabona said. Three pupils remain hospitalised, including a 17-year-old female airlifted to a private facility in critical condition.
Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko confirmed that the injured learners were admitted to the ICU at Sebokeng Hospital. “One learner remains critically unstable, while the other two are in a critical but stable condition. All the ICU patients are female, aged 10, 15, and 16. The learner who was airlifted is a 17-year-old female,” she said.
Discussion about this post