By Staff Reporter news@alexreporter.co.za
Pupils said they shouted at driver not to cross railway. The level crossing where a crash claimed the lives of six Mpumalanga school children has a stop sign and other rail crossing signs warning vehicles not to cross when the train approaches but the driver ferrying the pupils allegedly ignored all that.
Despite the loud hooting from the approaching train and the terrified screams of children inside his bus, the 44-year-old driver is alleged to have hoped he would make it across on time but it wasn’t to be.
The speeding train hit the bus, resulting in the deaths of six children. Many others were injured.
The bus was carrying 30 schoolchildren from Morelig Combined School in Wonderfontein outside Middelburg.
One of the pupils who survived the crash said they had shouted and screamed at the driver not to cross the railway as the train was approaching but he didn’t listen to them.
“We all shouted at him, saying ‘you are going to kill us’. However, he didn’t listen.
“After the front part of the bus had gone over the railway tracks, the train came straight at us who were seated in the middle of the bus. There was screaming and crying inside the bus. I feared for my life as I saw the train coming straight at me,” said the pupil whose arm was broken in the crash.
Phindile Sibanyoni, 35, lost her two daughters in the crash.
Snenhlanhla, 18, and Nomfundo, 17, were both in grade 11.
“They were my pride and joy. Snenhlanhla wanted to be a lawyer while Nomfundo wanted to be a teacher. Now all those professionals we were raising are gone,” said Sibanyoni as she broke down in tears.
“I’m shattered, really shattered. Can you imagine your children happily leaving for school in the morning only for you to receive a call later that they are dead and can you come identify them. Then you get there and they are covered in a silver foil? No one can ever comprehend my loss.”
Sibanyoni is now left with one daughter who attends a different school and was not in the same bus as her older siblings.
An elderly man who didn’t want to give his name said he went to the scene after the crash and wanted to remove his trapped grandchild from the wreckage himself out of sheer frustration but police stopped him.
The grandchild is one of the six children who died.
Some of the pupils said they’ve complained about the behaviour of some drivers to the school, their parents and other drivers but nothing was ever done.
A pupil who did not board the bus on Wednesday said: “I take the same bus but on Wednesday my family picked me up, that’s why I wasn’t involved in the accident.”
The train and bus drivers were slightly injured in the crash.
Deputy minister of transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa — who was accompanied by basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube, MEC for community safety, security and liaison Jackie Macie, public works MEC Thulasizwe Thomo, education MEC Cathy Dlamini and health MEC Sasekani Manzini — said preliminary investigation results on the accident would be ready on Friday.
The officials visited the school, the accident scene and four critically injured children who have been admitted to Middelburg Hospital.
“We don’t want to speculate about what happened and who is at fault, but we have instructed the investigators to give us a preliminary report by tomorrow [Friday]. The families don’t want information that is not factual,” said Hlengwa.
Macie told Sowetan the bus driver has already been charged with culpable homicide. However, he has not yet been arrested.
“The driver is recovering under police [custody],” said Macie.
This article was first published by SowetanLIVE.
