Police have arrested a taxi driver who fled the scene of a crash involving 20 schoolchildren in Impendle, KwaZulu-Natal.
The driver, who was found to have only a learner’s licence and no professional driving permit, handed himself over to police hours after the incident.
In hospital
The unroadworthy minibus taxi plunged off the KwaKhetha Bridge on the P127 road, injuring learners from Matomela High School, Luthando High School, and Sthunjwana Primary School.
Some of the children are still in hospital with serious injuries.
This marks the third scholar transport-related crash in the Umgungundlovu District this month.
The KZN Department of Transport has called on the National Taxi Council to urgently address safety issues in the sector, warning that enforcement will be intensified against unlicensed drivers and unsafe vehicles.
Could’ve been far worse
The minibus plunged approximately five metres down into a ravine below.
Craig Botha of KwaZulu Private Ambulance Service said the outcome could have been far worse.
“From the pictures we’ve seen and reports from ambulance crews and paramedics, the children are exceptionally lucky to have escaped with only minor to severe injuries,” said Botha.
“We usually expect severe, if not fatal, injuries from an accident like that.”
Community to the Rescue
Local residents were among the first on the scene, rushing to help pull the children from the wreckage before emergency services arrived.
“Thankfully, most of them had minor injuries – bumps, scrapes, and cuts,” Botha added.
“Only a few sustained more serious injuries, such as suspected broken bones and head trauma.”
Investigations into the crash are ongoing.
