22-year-old driver in deadly Vanderbijlpark crash to appear in court

The 22-year-old driver involved in the tragic Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash is expected to appear on Thursday.

Fourteen learners died, and several others were injured after a minibus taxi collided head-on with a truck.

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Dr Suhayfa Bhamjee, senior criminal law lecturer at the University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, says the driver may face charges of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving.

She notes the case is significant as it may challenge the 2013 Humphreys vs the State ruling, which held that drivers cannot be charged with murder for passenger deaths.

However, the 2024 Siyaya vs the State case suggests drivers whose reckless conduct shows intent may indeed be found guilty of murder.

“I don’t think it was human error. I think it was a conscious decision to go and overtake as many cars as he did, and it looked like he had been overtaking other school transport vehicles. The consequences in terms of sentencing could be quite dire,” she says.

To listen to Bhamjee in conversation with 702 and CapeTalk’s Africa Melane, use the audio player below: