The owners of unroadworthy public transport must also take the blame for causing road fatalities, the United Democratic Movement said.
|||The owners of unroadworthy public transport must also take the blame for causing road fatalities, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) said on Tuesday.
“Allowing the drivers to be fall guys for road fatalities is extremely unfair,” said UDM chief whip Stanley Ntapane in a statement.
Western Cape bus driver Sisa Nonoma was found guilty on 23
counts of culpable homicide by the Cape Town Regional Court on Monday. He would be sentenced on December 3, after his conviction under a plea agreement.
He was the driver of the bus that crashed on the N1 near De Doorns in the Western Cape on May 5, 2010, leaving 23 people dead.
Charges were provisionally withdrawn against his brother, Malinga Nonoma, the bus owner. Both were initially charged with 23
counts of murder.
Ntapane said the party agreed with the verdict and that it would send a clear message that road safety was not negotiable.
“However, we are concerned that the bus owner has taken no responsibility.”
He said the owner was partly to blame for allowing an unroadworthy vehicle that had a number of faults onto the roads. Brake problems, poorly insulated wiring and malfunctioning lights were among the problems he identified.
“We also appreciate the remorse shown by the bus driver for the unnecessary loss of lives,” he said. - Sapa