A truck driver who was arrested in connection with the deadly 15-car pile-up on the N3 near Mariannhill was expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrates court to face several charges on Friday.
Four people, including Pradhil Thakur-Rajbansi and his fiancée Priyanka Nundkumar, the son and daughter-in-law of Minority Front Leader Shameem Thakur-Rajbansi, were killed in the horror crash when the truck’s brakes allegedly failed and it lost control on the freeway.
The truck driver, who is facing charges including culpable homicide and negligent driving, initially appeared in court on Wednesday but the matter was adjourned to Friday. NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara said the matter had been adjourned so that the court could verify the truck driver’s home address.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka, said the cause of the accident was under investigation. He added that the company that owned the truck "must be taken to task should it be found that there were some defects in the vehicle".
Hlomuka raised concern about the high number of accidents involving trucks.
"We welcome the fact that the driver is going to be facing charges. We also want action to be taken against the truck company. This must send a clear message to all truck drivers and all road users that those who are killing people on the roads have no space in our province,” Hlomuka said.
His department was working on developing a plan to focus on road safety regarding heavy vehicles, he added.
"This will check driver documentation, roadworthiness of the trucks, and other compliance issues. We will also be engaging with the trucking industry to agree on fundamental safety improvement plans, compliance and monitoring of their drivers.”
Queues of trucks could be seen on the N3 this week as traffic police heightened inspections of heavy vehicles along the route just outside Durban.
