Pongola truck driver remanded in custody

The truck driver who allegedly killed 19 school children and two adults, Sibusiso Siyaya (28), made his first appearance in the Pongola Magistrate’s Court today.

The children were returning from school when the bakkie they were travelling in was hit by the truck on the N2 between Pongola and Tshelimnyama, north of the province last week.

In a voice note that circulated a day after the accident, a voice purportedly to be Siyaya’s is heard telling someone that bad luck had chosen him among other truck drivers who were running away from the police.

The voice says they had blockaded the road with trucks near Richards Bay and when the police arrived they sped off. This has not yet been confirmed with the police.

It took hours for rescue services personnel to extricate the bodies from the bakkie which was trapped under the truck.

The final report on the accident from EMS spokesperson Robert McKenzie came in at around 20:00 on the day of the incident.

Siyaya reportedly escaped from the scene but later handed himself over to the police.

NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the case was remanded to September 26 for formal bail application.