Johannesburg - The taxi driver involved in a crash near Standerton which killed 11 people had been arrested for having a fake driver's licence, the Mpumalanga department of community safety said on Sunday.
“Traffic and police officers who attended the crash scene requested a driver's licence from the driver and he produced a falsified licence,” spokesman Joseph Mabuza said.
A kombi and a truck collided head-on on the R23 between Perdekop and Standerton on Friday.
Eleven people were declared dead on scene.
The Mpumalanga community safety department said the kombi they were travelling in failed to stop at a 'stop and go' construction site.
Two people were seriously injured and four others sustained minor injuries.
The Mpumalanga Community Safety MEC, Vusi Shongwe welcomed the arrest.
“If it is true that he did not possess the appropriate documents, it should not end by the arrest for the falsified document, but the driver should also be prosecuted for murder because he knew that he was not competent to be a driver of a motor vehicle or a public transporter for that matter”, said Shongwe.
He is facing a charge of falsifying a driver's licence and driving a vehicle without a licence.
Police are also investigating a case of culpable homicide. - Sapa