School bus driver faces culpable homicide after girl dies in accident

The driver of a school bus could face jail time after a five-year-old Esselenpark girl died in hospital after a minibus taxi transporting pupils veered off the road and crashed into a ditch in Birchleigh North.

The fatal accident, in which 17 pupils were injured, including the girl, happened at around 7am on Monday at the intersection of Pongolariver Drive and Strydom Street.

The driver, believed to be in her 30s, was also injured.

The Oxford Combined College pupil succumbed to her injuries at the Tembisa Hospital, where 13 other patients were taken. Three other patients were transported to Arwyp.

Most of the pupils being transported were from Tembisa and attend school at Oxford Combined College in Spartan, while one is apparently a pupil at Kings Highway Academy on Monument Road.

Norkem Police spokesperson, W/O Mahlodi Langa, confirmed that a charge of culpable homicide had been added to the reckless and negligent driving case that was initially opened.

Mr William Ntladi, the Ekurhuleni Emergency Services spokesperson, said their ambulance services transported the majority of the patients to the Tembisa Hospital.

“In total, 18 patients, including the driver of the vehicle, were taken to hospital for various injuries, including head and chest. Four, including the driver, were seriously injured and the others sustained minor injuries,” Ntladi said.

According to the chairperson of the Tembisa Education Transport Coordinators, Bhekumuzi Ngwenya, the school bus is part of their organisation and the driver is one of its members.

“The driver said she did not know what happened as she said she had a blackout when the accident occurred,” Ngwenya said.

”There was no other car that disturbed her on the road at the time of the incident. We will find out the full details once she has been treated and discharged from hospital.”

The driver of a separate transport vehicle for school pupils said he had seen the minibus in the morning, just before the accident.

“I noticed the blue taxi when I was taking children to school this morning,” he added.

”I was driving behind it through Esselenpark towards Strydom Street.

”Shortly after turning left into Emberen Street, before the road curves to the right leading into Strydom Street, the minibus had already sped off in front of us. By the time I reached the intersection where the accident happened, there was no minibus in sight.”

Assuming the school bus had sped off, he continued on his way and took the pupils to school.

“It was only after coming back from dropping the pupils off that I saw policemen and ambulances at the scene. When I stopped to find out what had happened, I saw the blue minibus taxi I had seen earlier in the morning.”

Ntladi confirmed that the forensics team would investigate whether or not the vehicle was roadworthy.