Durban - A bus driver was shot dead and his passengers screamed and pleaded for their lives when a gang of hijackers took them on a terror ride through Pietermaritzburg on Monday night.
Police sources said the bus had stopped in Eastwood when three men, posing as passengers, pounced on the driver.
The TBT bus had been taking passengers to a rural area near Greytown and had stopped in Eastwood to let passengers buy food for the journey.
At the stop, the three hijackers boarded the bus, pretending to be passengers.
When the bus began moving, the men pulled out a gun and knife and ordered passengers to put their heads down, a police source said. In the ensuing chaos, as traumatised passengers started screaming and pleading for their lives, the driver was shot three times causing him to lose control of the vehicle.
The bus veered down a bank into the Beacon Hill Country Estate, hitting a light pole and then crashing into the front of a house on the estate.
ER24 spokeswoman, Chitra Bodasing, confirmed the driver was pronounced dead soon after emergency services arrived, while the passengers were unharmed but traumatised.
One was taken to hospital for minor injuries while others were treated for shock at the scene.
A passenger, who requested that his name not be published, said he was shaken by the experience and thanked God he was alive.
"One minute we were all relaxed in the bus and the next we are pleading for our lives. This was a nightmare. May the driver's soul rest in peace," the visibly emotional man said.
The hijackers fled into nearby bush after the crash and are are still at large.
The driver's identity may not be released until his next of kin have been informed.
A resident of the estate said they were shocked when they heard a loud bang last night and found a bus had crashed into a neighbour's house.
"It was very scary. It could have been any of our houses. We are just thankful no one was injured by the bus crashing into the house," said a resident, R De Villiers, who declined to give his first name.
Despite numerous attempts, comment from the police was not forthcoming at the time of publication.
Daily News