HE overloaded Toyota Condor that was involved in a head-on collision last week while transporting 15 schoolchildren, was not certified to carry passengers.
Police officers close to the investigation yesterday revealed that the Condor was a commercial vehicle that had been converted.
The accident, which occurred in Beacon Bay, saw schoolchildren flung out of the vehicle when it collided head-on with a bakkie. One of the pupils, seven-year-old Luvo Ngcongcobele, died on Sunday due to severe head injuries.
Police revealed that the vehicle was certified to carry goods only but had been turned into a taxi, with car seats welded into the vehicle. There were no safety belts and the tyres were worn out.
“The major factor was that all four tyres were worn out. They had no thread hence the driver could not control the vehicle or stop it. The car seats were casually put in and did not hold on strongly enough to the rest of the vehicle,” one officer said.
He said the vehicle was unroadworthy.
The Dispatch has since learnt that the car seats welded into the Condor were in fact taken from a Toyota Siyaya taxi.
The driver of the Condor, Witness Ndlumbini, yesterday admitted the seats were not for the Condor.
“I bought it with those seats; the seats were screwed into the car. Unfortunately there were no seatbelts and I had planned to change the seats and find good ones but I doubt that car can ever work again.”
Ndlumbini was not a registered scholar transport provider. He apologised to the parents of the affected children. “I am very hurt by what has happened, I never planned for any of this to happen. I am even more hurt by the death of Luvo because he was now like my own child too,” said Ndlumbini.
“I don’t even know how I will be looked at or accepted in my community because of this. He was sitting right next to me and was the youngest in our trips.”
Luvo was sitting with two other children in the front seat when the accident happened.
One of the victims, 11-year-old Someleze Mhlwazi, who was admitted to Frere Hospital’s intensive care unit, was taken out of the ward on Saturday after undergoing an operation to mend his broken legs.
His mother, Noxolo Mhlwazi, said she was pleased with his treatment but was worried because pipes were still attached to the Grade 4 pupil to enable him to urinate.
The East London Taxi Association’s secretary Xolile Ngwendu confirmed Ndlumbini was a member of the association, but said they could not monitor his vehicle when he did “private” jobs away from the taxi rank. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
Taxi ‘had no permit for passengers’
Police officers close to the investigation yesterday revealed that the Condor was a commercial vehicle that had been converted.
The accident, which occurred in Beacon Bay, saw schoolchildren flung out of the vehicle when it collided head-on with a bakkie. One of the pupils, seven-year-old Luvo Ngcongcobele, died on Sunday due to severe head injuries.
Police revealed that the vehicle was certified to carry goods only but had been turned into a taxi, with car seats welded into the vehicle. There were no safety belts and the tyres were worn out.
“The major factor was that all four tyres were worn out. They had no thread hence the driver could not control the vehicle or stop it. The car seats were casually put in and did not hold on strongly enough to the rest of the vehicle,” one officer said.
He said the vehicle was unroadworthy.
The Dispatch has since learnt that the car seats welded into the Condor were in fact taken from a Toyota Siyaya taxi.
The driver of the Condor, Witness Ndlumbini, yesterday admitted the seats were not for the Condor.
“I bought it with those seats; the seats were screwed into the car. Unfortunately there were no seatbelts and I had planned to change the seats and find good ones but I doubt that car can ever work again.”
Ndlumbini was not a registered scholar transport provider. He apologised to the parents of the affected children. “I am very hurt by what has happened, I never planned for any of this to happen. I am even more hurt by the death of Luvo because he was now like my own child too,” said Ndlumbini.
“I don’t even know how I will be looked at or accepted in my community because of this. He was sitting right next to me and was the youngest in our trips.”
Luvo was sitting with two other children in the front seat when the accident happened.
One of the victims, 11-year-old Someleze Mhlwazi, who was admitted to Frere Hospital’s intensive care unit, was taken out of the ward on Saturday after undergoing an operation to mend his broken legs.
His mother, Noxolo Mhlwazi, said she was pleased with his treatment but was worried because pipes were still attached to the Grade 4 pupil to enable him to urinate.
The East London Taxi Association’s secretary Xolile Ngwendu confirmed Ndlumbini was a member of the association, but said they could not monitor his vehicle when he did “private” jobs away from the taxi rank. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za
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