Claims that someone altered the roadworthy certificate of a Putco bus that crashed last week will be probed, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said on Thursday.
“It is going to form part of the investigation,” said Ashref Ismail, spokesman for the RTMC, which has already started its investigation.
Nineteen people, including the bus driver, died and 55 were injured in the crash on June 25. One of the injured died on Tuesday of injuries suffered in the crash, Deputy Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said at a memorial service on Wednesday.
The Star Africa Edition reported on Thursday that there were two conflicting letters, reportedly from the Midvaal municipality, on the roadworthiness of the bus.
The Midvaal Municipality “admitted to creating a second letter” declaring the bus roadworthy after the crash, the newspaper reported.
The first document, dated June 14, showed that bus number 7167C had “failed retest” and been sent for another retest on June 21.
A second letter, also dated June 14, but created after the crash, indicated that the bus had passed the test.
Midvaal municipality spokeswoman Yvonne Muller said buses and other vehicles were pulled off the roads and sent off for testing at Meyerton testing station on June 12 during a special operation held by the Midvaal municipality,
She said the Meyerton testing station did not fall under the Midvaal municipality but the Sedibeng municipality.
When the bus was tested at Meyerton on June 12 it was found to be not roadworthy and a retest was recommended.
On June 14, Midvaal sent Putco a letter reminding it that buses which had failed had to be retested.
“Between the 12th and the 14th that particular bus, 7167C, had already undergone a retest at a Putco testing station,” Muller said.
Midvaal then picked up on eNatis that it had been retested.
“It's not as though Midvaal chopped and changed. It was in the eNatis system that it had passed,” she said.
Muller said Midvaal could not see where the bus was tested but Meyerton could.
Putco spokesman Raphiri Matsaneng said: “It is not proper that we go back and forth on issues that we don't have clarity on.
“We have committed ourselves to abide by the findings of the investigation. We have registered our disquiet with Midvaal over two letters that come from them that are different.
“They have one that they feel is authentic that came from them, but it won't help to move back and forth on this matter.
“It will be put to rest when the findings are put on the table and then all affected parties should be bound by those findings.”
He said the company was following up on an operation in Mpumalanga where 50 Putco buses were impounded on the Moloto road on Tuesday.
Eighteen allegedly did not have the necessary permits, while 32 others were found to be defective.
Matsaneng said the information about the permits was not entirely true.
The company was given receipts when applying for bus permits annually in Gauteng, but had realised that the permits “are not welcomed by officials in Mpumalanga”.
There was proof that the permits had been renewed, and Putco felt they should have been considered valid. It was hopeful the matter could be resolved.
The company did not have a report yet detailing the extent of the alleged unroadworthiness of vehicles, Matsaneng said. – Sapa