What caused the Pongola crash?

A shockwave rippled through the country and Northern KwaZulu-Natal on Friday afternoon when 19 schoolchildren and two adults died in an indescribably horrifying crash between Pongola and Piet Retief. A bakkie was transporting learners from Pongola towards Piet Retief on the N2 road when an oncoming truck crashed full force into the bakkie. After the devastating impact, the 19 children on the bakkie were strewn across the road and a nearby field. Worse still, a few were pinned or crushed underneath the truck and bakkie. Some of the children could not be identified by facial recognition. The learners were aged from five years old to approximately 12 years of age. On Monday afternoon, KZN EMS media liaison Robert McKenzie released a statement that indicates that only 20 people died in the crash, after forensic experts discovered that one body was counted twice.

The question remains: why was the truck on the wrong side of the road?

According to video footage from another truck’s dashboard camera, the truck involved in the crash overtook two other trucks on a solid white line before hitting the bakkie. When one looks at the point of impact, it indicates that there was no way for the driver of the bakkie to avoid the collision, since there was a barrier at the side of the road. If it had happened a few seconds earlier, the bakkie would have had the opportunity to swerve out into a gap at the side of the road. When asking witnesses, they indicated that the truck must’ve been travelling at least over 90km/h and they say it doesn’t seem as if the truck was in its lowest gear while going downhill. According to truck drivers who witnessed the crash, it would be procedure to move into the lowest gear when descending that specific long hill. When one looks at the photos of the truck, the back wheel’s surface seems to be smooth, not complying with road safety protocols. Or could it be that the truck experienced an airbrake problem? Either way, community members claim that truck drivers in that area drive recklessly and don’t value the lives of residents, or in this case, children…

After the truck crashed into the bakkie, the driver fled the scene but reported to a police station the following morning. Police and forensic collision experts are investigating both vehicles, as well as the footage from the dashboard camera. Trucks were redirected to alternative routes over the weekend, which saw Vryheid and surrounding roads abuzz with trucking activities.

Acting KZN Premier Nomagugu Simelane – together with MEC for Transport, Community Safety & Liaison Sipho Hlomuka and Acting Education MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi – dedicated the whole of Monday to meeting with learners and the families of the victims. The crash claimed the lives of 18 learners, a teacher and the van driver.

A visit was undertaken to the accident scene with a team of experts. Preliminary indications point to human error and failure to adhere to the rules of the road.

The government delegation is currently engaging with teachers and learners in all five affected schools. A local school called Independent Primary School lost 10 learners. The bereaved families are also being visited.

Later on Monday, government announced programmes to support bereaved families and the survivors of road carnage.

Zululand Mayor Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi called for a national strategy to regulate the number of trucks passing through Zululand. “The R34 from Vryheid to Richards Bay and the N2 from oPhongolo to Richards Bay simply cannot cope with the number of trucks passing along these routes on an hourly basis. There is enormous pressure on our road infrastructure and as a result, fatal road accidents have become a daily occurrence,” said Buthelezi. “We call upon the Minister of Transport to urgently come up with a national strategy to deal with these trucks – including limiting their times of travel to between 18h00 and 06h00 only,” concluded Mayor Buthelezi. He offered his condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones in this accident. The mayor has delegated his municipal officials to assist the bereaved families in this difficult time.

Khosi Zulu sent the Vryheid Herald a message with the following plea: “Please assist with announcing the cry about trucks that were banned from the N2. They are now using the Natal Spa road and that road is used by school kids and pedestrians. The recklessness of the truck drivers never changes. We therefore plead with the government to find other alternatives, as the volume of this traffic cannot be accommodated on this road. We have houses along the road, and livestock and kids. They have no other alternative route to school. My suggestion is that trucks should have their route just like trains because they are all freight.”

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.

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