Vaal school crash reopens wounds left by Pongola tragedy that killed 22

Vaal school crash reopens wounds left by Pongola tragedy that killed 22

South Africa is once again mourning children who never made it home from school, and for many families, the pain feels heartbreakingly familiar.

The Vaal school transport crash, which claimed the lives of 12 children this week, has stirred memories of another devastating moment in the country’s recent history: the Pongola crash that killed 22 people, most of them pupils, four years ago.

Across communities, the sense of grief is mixed with anger and exhaustion, a feeling that these tragedies keep repeating, despite promises that lessons have been learned.

A journey home that ended in tragedy

On Monday, a minibus taxi transporting schoolchildren was involved in a head-on collision with a truck, killing 12 pupils instantly.

The 22-year-old driver of the minibus survived and has since been charged with culpable homicide. Three other passengers are being treated in hospital.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi later confirmed that the vehicle was operating with an expired professional driving permit (PDP) a revelation that has fuelled public outrage and renewed calls for stricter enforcement.

The young driver is expected to appear in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, facing 12 counts of culpable homicide, as well as charges of reckless and negligent driving.

Why Pongola still haunts the nation

For many South Africans, the Vaal crash immediately revived memories of September 16, 2022, when a vehicle carrying schoolchildren in Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal, collided with a truck after travelling in the oncoming lane.

That crash killed 20 schoolchildren and two adults, devastating families and an entire community.

The truck driver, Sibusiso Siyaya, fled the scene but was later arrested. Initially charged with culpable homicide, the charges were upgraded to murder as evidence revealed the extent of his recklessness.

In May 2024, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pongola sentenced Siyaya to an effective 20 years in prison.

What the court found

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Siyaya was employed as a heavy vehicle driver transporting coal from Mpumalanga to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal.

Evidence showed that on the day of the crash, he repeatedly overtook vehicles over a double barrier line, driving into oncoming traffic for more than a kilometre without attempting to return to his lane.

The state relied on CCTV footage, GPS records, mechanical reports, and testimony from 12 witnesses, including expert evidence.

Victim impact statements painted a picture of unimaginable grief, including one mother who lost all her children in the crash.

Although Siyaya was convicted of multiple offences, the court ruled the murders occurred in a single act, sentencing him to:

• 14 years for murder

• 3 years for reckless and negligent driving

• 6 years for failing to stop and assist

Some sentences ran concurrently, resulting in a 20-year prison term, and his driver’s licence was cancelled.

Government promises, then and now

At the time, then-Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula visited the Pongola crash site and condemned both reckless driving and the illegal transport of passengers in goods vehicles.

He announced a R2.5 billion road-widening project for the area and called for tougher law enforcement, acknowledging that 18 children aged between five and 13, as well as a teacher, had died.

Four years later, as another group of families bury their children, those promises are once again being measured against reality.

A familiar cycle of grief and outrage

The Vaal crash has reignited public debate, not only about reckless driving, but about the safety of scholar transport, expired permits, and the pressure placed on young drivers operating in high-risk conditions.

On social media, South Africans have expressed frustration that tragedies involving children seem to follow a familiar script: shock, condolences, court appearances, and then silence, until the next crash.

For the families in both Pongola and the Vaal, the headlines offer little comfort. Their lives are permanently divided into before and after, marked by school uniforms that were never worn again and journeys that should have ended at home.

As investigations continue, the question many are asking is painfully simple: how many more children must die before the roads truly become safer?

{Source: IOL}

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