VANDERBIJLPARK – The taxi driver accused of causing a horror crash that killed 14 schoolchildren has been granted R3 000 bail after spending about eight months behind bars.
Ayanda Dludla (23) appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court today facing 14 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, driving without a valid permit, and operating an unroadworthy vehicle.
Dludla kept his head bowed and stared at the floor throughout most of the proceedings, but when Presiding Magistrate Phumeza Ngindo announced that he would be released on bail, he finally looked up.
Ngindo ordered his release and imposed strict conditions, stating that Dludla may not drive for the duration of the case, must live at his mother’s home, and must report to the Vanderbijlpark Police Station.
The magistrate noted that Dludla was a man of modest means prepared to use his university savings for bail.
“This court also considered the seriousness of the offences that the applicant is charged with. The applicant has been in custody for the period of eight months, emotions are not as high as they were following the accident,” said Ngindo.
She added that both the grieving families and Dludla needed counselling to come to terms with the tragedy.
“The applicant has been traumatised and haunted by the incident. He loved those children, and they loved him too,” she added.
The decision provoked immediate anger and heartbreak among the victims’ families, who packed the courtroom gallery.
Moses Baloyi, whose child died in the crash, claimed justice had failed and accused the magistrate of bias.
“I honestly feel like the magistrate doesn’t care about our kids. The manner in which the charge was handed down, I could hear from the start that the magistrate was supporting the applicant,” he said.
Innocentia Vinger, who lost her six-year-old child, said the ruling meant parents would have to endure seeing a free Dludla in the community every day while they continued to mourn.
Vinger expressed anguish that the tragedy left families crying daily, feeling as though their children had died in vain.
“Driving at 120km/h is certainly an accident, but driving at 180km/h in a 120 zone is not an accident.”
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana confirmed that the State had opposed bail based on evidence in the docket supporting murder charges.
“However, the magistrate found that it was in the interest of justice that he be released on bail,” she said.
Investigations have concluded, and the State is preparing to present its evidence at trial scheduled to run from November 9 – 17.
