Johannesburg - The truck that caused Tuesday’s multi-vehicle N12 pile-up was on the road illegally and the driver has previous convictions.
The licence and roadworthy certificate for both the truck and its trailer also expired on 8 October 8, Gauteng Traffic Police said on Thursday.
Both certificates must be renewed annually and were last processed 8 October 2013. Although there is 21 days’ grace to relicence a vehicle, there’s no such grace period for a road-worthy certificate.
Obed Sibasa, spokesman for the Gauteng Traffic Police, said: “It was not supposed to be on the road.”
This is the sort of offence for which the truck’s owner is likely to be prosecuted, as well as the driver. The truck’s owner, Benusi Cargo Carriers in Potchefstroom, had another truck pulled off the road later the same day for being unroadworthy as it had four worn tyres. Benusi Cargo could not be contacted on Thursday.
The Alberton crash happened early on Tuesday morning, on the N12 East at the Reading interchange with the R59 in Alberton. The driver reportedly said the truck’s brakes had failed.
FIFTY-CAR PILE-UP
Four people died and at least 16 were injured, and nearly 50 vehicles were involved in the pile-up.
Three of those who died were construction workers who were flung from the back of a bakkie. They were named as Goodwill Mzubuyile Ngqoboka, Mohloai Henry and Sello Mnisi.
The bakkie driver was injured. It is legal for people to travel on the back of a bakkie, although there are limits on this under the National Road Traffic Act.
The truck driver appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. Isaac Wade Moruding, 44, faces four counts of culpable homicide and one of reckless and negligent driving.
The court heard that Moruding was previously convicted of culpable homicide, and reckless and negligent driving.
Prosecutor John Ntuli said the State still needed to establish whether his licence was revoked following the reckless and negligent driving case. It was believed the man was handed a jail term for both offences.
The court heard that the accused was not found at the accident scene after the crash, and was arrested in Potchefstroom on Wednesday.
The case was postponed to 22 October for a bail application.
The Star