The young driver of the car that crashed into a bus - killing him and two friends - did not have a driver's licence.
|||Cape Town - The matric student who was behind the wheel of the car when it smashed into a bus - killing him and two pals - did not have a driver’s licence.
And Cape Town Transport Minister Robin Carlisle confirmed that the driver of the Golden Arrow bus involved in the horrific crash has an “unblemished” record.
“Yes, that is true [that Keenan had no driver’s licence],” Carlisle told the Daily Voice.
“There is no doubt... these youngsters came across a red light and the bus driver didn’t have a choice. The bus driver’s record is unblemished so far.”
Keenan Smith, of Strandfontein, had changed driving seats with his friend, Nazan Klaasens, 20, who had borrowed his mother’s white Toyota Corolla after a night out in the city.
Keenan and his two friends - Leigh Anne Swail, 18, and young mom Kelly-Jade Ford, 18, all Mondale High School matriculants - were crushed to death in the horrific collision in the early hours of Saturday, November 24, between Church Way and Spine Road, Strandfontein, .
The bus driver will now be cleared of culpable homicide charges.
“According to SAPS, from what we have been told verbally, the driver is going to be cleared and Keenan was not in possession of a valid licence,” a source says.
Legal experts also say it’s highly unlikely Nazan will face any charges.
“There is no way the licence holder can be charged for the accident - I mean, it’s not like he even had his hands on the wheel,” said well-known attorney William Booth.
“Even if Nazan was awake, Keenan was the driver so Nazan can’t be prosecuted for anything because it’s not his fault. It’s like a barman seeing a drunk man leave the bar and enter his car.”
Meanwhile, Golden Arrow have confirmed the bus driver involved in the crash is still in a “state of shock”.
Spokesperson Bronwen Dyke also hit out at claims made on social networking sites over the past week that he is to blame for the tragedy.
“The bus driver is also struggling to come to terms with what happened and does not deserve the contempt that is being directed towards him,” Dyke told the Daily Voice.
“From what I see online, a large number of people have been... laying blame at Golden Arrow’s door and there is a lot of misinformation out there.”
Keenan and Kelly were laid to rest over the weekend. Keenan’s devastated family were not available to comment.
Daily Voice