Sibusiso Langa was found guilty of five counts of culpable homicide and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol in the North Gauteng High Court on 27 November.
A psychiatrist will testify on 4 December.
Langa has been denied bail until the trail resumes.
The families of the victims have called for a harsh sentence.
19 November, 8am:
The sole survivor of the Midrand 5 runners that were killed when a car collided with them on Lever Road, testified in court on 18 November.
Abigeil Khnayi Sthengile survived after Sibusiso Langa drove into a group of joggers on Lever Road in Midrand.
She recalled that in the moments before the incident, the runners were jogging within an arm’s length of each other and talking.
While the defence said a witness would testify that there was another car, apart from Langa’s, that also nearly collided with the runners however, Sthengile refuted this saying there was no other car at the time of the incident.
On 13 November Langa admitted to the North Gauteng High Court that he had driven under the influence of alcohol.
Langa pleaded not guilty to five charges of murder and one of attempted murder.
14 November, 10am:
In a statement read to the court on 13 November, Langa admitted to being under the influence of alcohol. He was said to have made the admission to shorten the proceedings.
A Metro police officer who took Langa to the district surgeon on the day of the accident, testified that Langa fell asleep while waiting and when he woke up expressed concern for his car. Several witnesses who were at the scene testified that Langa had appeared drunk and his breath smelt of alcohol.
However, Langa’s advocate, Richard Mkhabela said Langa was not that drunk on the day of the accident.
Langa pleaded not guilty to five charges of murder, a charge of attempted murder and two charges of driving under the influence of alcohol. Joggers Given Mills, Reneilwe Lesenyaho, Gaolojwe Tlale, Moroesi Mokoatsi, Nomvula Dumako died when Langa’s car ploughed into them. Abigeil Stengile survived.
The case continues.
12 Noember, 8am:
The North Gauteng High Court heard that Sibusiso Langa, on trial for the murder of the Midrand 5, had drunk a few beers the day of the accident. Langa is on trial for the murder of five joggers in Midrand on 22 October 2011.
The murder trial of Sibusiso Langa, the man accused of killing five runners on Lever Road in Midrand on 22 October 2011, began in the North Gauteng High Court.
Langa is facing five counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and driving under the influence of alcohol. He was released on bail in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court last year.
The case was not fully heard by the time Midrand Reporter went to press.
During the trial, the defence attorney said Langa would testify that the runners were running on the road and that they ran in front of his SUV to avoid another vehicle.
A witness, Doctor Zulu refuted this and said he did not see another vehicle, and the runners were running on the pavement.
The defence also suggested that Metro police accident investigator Johannes van Loggerenberg and Metro police officer Sibongile Makhubela were accusing Langa of being more drunk than he was. Loggerenberg said Langa looked sleepy and smelt of alcohol. He also found a cider bottle in his vehicle.
Makhubela testified that Langa tried to drive away from the scene and she escorted him back. She said when she asked Langa why he drove into the runners he told her they were in his way.
Mashudu Mills is among those that are hoping to see justice for her late daughter, Given Mills and the other four runners that were killed in the incident that has come to be known as the Midrand 5. Mills has since spearheaded a road safety campaign, Midrand 5 – Share the Road and Save a Life. In October 2012, Mills addressed the city council about the campaign and how the Bus Rapid Transit system could contribute to road safety. She explained that the aim of the campaign was to make motorists aware of the dangers of ignorance, disrespect and driving under the influence, and creating road safety awareness for athletes and other road users.
Her hope is that the campaign will be promoted at major events to encourage road users to use the roads safely.
Details: mashudu@lhce.co.za
11 November, 8am:
Mashudu Mills is among those that are hoping to see justice for her late daughter, Given Mills and the other four runners who were killed by a drunk driver on 22 October 2011.
The case will be heard at North Gauteng High Court on 11 November.
The incident has come to be known as the Midrand 5, as five runners died and a sixth was injured when a motorist drove into the group that were running on Lever Road. The runners were training for the Soweto Marathon.
The driver, Sibusiso Langa was charged with five counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and driving under the influence of alcohol. He was given bail in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court last year.
Mills has since spearheaded a road safety campaign, Midrand 5 – Share the Road and Save a Life. In October 2012, Mills addressed the city council about the campaign and how the bus Rapid Transit could contribute to road safety. In her address she said, “I am standing before you not just as a presenter, but as a mother who has experienced the pain of losing her beloved daughter as a results of unsafe roads and lack of law enforcement in our public roads.
“I am not saying my daughter would have lived for ever, however if our road systems were safe enough and our road laws were enforced enough, my daughter would not have died the way she died. She would not have died as a result of someone who fully knows that no one should drink and drive.”
She explained that the aim of the campaign was to make motorists aware of the dangers of ignorance, disrespect and driving under the influence, and creating road safety awareness for athletes and other road users. Her hope is that the campaign will be promoted at major events to encourage road users to use the roads safely.
Details: mashudu@lhce.co.za
