The truck driver who fled the deadly crash in Pongola that killed 21 people on September 16 has been arrested, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport confirmed.
Nineteen school pupils, an assistant teacher and the driver of the bakkie in which they were travelling all died in the collision.
According to the department, the driver handed himself over to the police on Saturday, September 17 after a call by MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka. Before his arrest, police launched a manhunt after the truck driver fled the scene which claimed the lives of 21 people, 19 of which are children.
Hlomuka said that the arrest is important in assisting the families to deal with the devastation of losing their relatives.
“We commend the police who have had to activate all systems to make sure that the driver is pressured to surrender himself. We will be there to support the people of Pongola and the families during his court appearance on Monday,” said Hlomuka.
In a footage that has been circulating on social media, the driver is seen overtaking on solid line and colliding with a bakkie which was transporting school children on the N2 highway in the northern KwaZulu-Natal. He fled the scene immediately after the scene.
The driver is expected to appear in the Pongola Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 19.
The truck driver in the Pongolo horror crash that claimed 21 lives has been arrested. The driver has handed himself over to police and is expected to appear in the Pongolo Magistrate Court on Monday. #Today #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/dmllmTkmsJ
— eNCA (@eNCA) September 17, 2022
