12-year-old driver in fatal crash released into parents custody until next court appearance

JOHANNESBURG - A 12-year-old boy appeared in the Brakpan Magistrates Court after being accused of killing another child in a car crash. 

He’s facing charges of culpable homicide and driving without a licence after allegedly taking his parents’ car for a drive on Saturday afternoon.

It is understood that the vehicle struck a 14-year-old boy on a street corner in the east rand suburb, before crashing into a wall. 

The accident happened at the corner of Madeley and Northdeene streets, just 800 meters from the driver's home, where the victim was declared dead on the scene and the vehicle came to a stop against a wall.

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Lumka Mahanjana said that the minor was released into the care of his parents and that the matter will return to court later this year.

"The matter was postponed to the 28th of August to determine his criminal capacity."

The case has raised fresh questions about parental responsibility and how a child so young ended up behind the wheel.

More than 600 children were killed on South Africa’s roads last year, many in crashes involving underage or unlicensed drivers.