Scholar transport crash accused Ayanda Dludla is back in court today. Image: IOL.
(The Post News)- 22-year-old Ayanda Dludla, accused of killing 14 pupils after his minibus collided with a truck, is expected to continue his bail application at the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court.
He faces 14 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, one count of driving without a valid Professional Driving Permit (PDP) and one count of driving an unlicensed motor vehicle. The crash happened in Vanderbijlpark earlier this year when a scholar transport minibus carrying children collided head-on with a truck.
Preliminary investigations indicated that Dludla tried to overtake a vehicle and did not see an oncoming truck, causing a head-on collision. The case was postponed to today when the accused last appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court. The postponement allowed the Director of Public Prosecutions to finalise the charge.
The charges were initially culpable homicide at face value, but after the National Prosecuting Authority produced and studied the docket and the evidence contained in it, spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said at the time that they found prima facie evidence to prefer murder charges against the accused.
It is further believed that the minibus operated by the accused was allegedly carrying more passengers than permitted at the time of the collision. Doubts also continue to persist regarding whether the vehicle met the required safety and mechanical standards to legally be on public roads when the fatal crash occurred.
Jail Life Takes Toll on Ayanda Dludla
His legal representative, Advocate Reward Nxumalo, earlier said that the emotional and psychological toll of being held at Vereeniging Correctional Centre has been weighing heavily on his client since his arrest. Despite not applying for bail during his first court appearance, Nxumalo said the accused has been battling to adjust to conditions behind bars while maintaining that he is profoundly remorseful for the crash that killed 14 pupils.
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