The driver of the truck was arrested after a failed attempt to flee the scene and deceive officers.
Picture: Reaction Unit SA
An undocumented foreign national has been arrested after the truck he was driving overturned on the M65 near King Shaka International Airport in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
The Operations Centre received multiple calls for assistance around 11:33am on Monday, and upon their arrival on the scene, officers found a white Nissan diesel truck lying on its side after it had allegedly failed to navigate a sharp bend.
‘The driver fled’
A male at the scene identified himself as a conductor and informed the officers that the driver had fled before first responders arrived.
Moments later, reports from RUSA state that the male suddenly fled into the bushes nearby.
With assistance from a private security officer, the suspect was pursued on foot and apprehended.
Failed Deception
Further investigation established that he had falsely identified himself as a conductor and was in fact the driver of the truck.
It was also established that he was an undocumented foreign national from Mangochi, Malawi.
The actual driver
Meanwhile, two other males at the scene confirmed that they were actually the truck’s conductors and stated that the apprehended male had been driving when he allegedly failed to navigate the bend, causing the truck to overturn.
The driver was handed over to the King Shaka International Airport South Arican Police Service (Saps) for further investigation.
Head-on collision
A tragedy occurred after a motorist was killed in an accident where three vehicles collided in Cottonlands, KZN on Sunday.
Members of the Reaction Unit received a call for assistance around 21:52pm.
Once they arrived on the scene it was established that when a brown Ford Figo and a Nissan Hardbody were traveling towards Ndwedwe, when the driver of a Renault Kwid allegedly lost control, crossed into their lane and collided with oncoming vehicles.
One deceased
The driver of the Renault Kwid sustained fatal injuries and was declared deceased on the scene of the accident.
RUSA noted that all three vehicles experienced extensive front-end damage.
The Nissan Hardbody overturned several times before coming to rest on its driver’s side.
The driver of the Nissan bakkie sustained injuries and was transported to hospital by private transport.
