According to his employer, the truck driver involved in the Field's Hill crash used fraudulent permits to obtain his job.
|||Durban - Sanele May, the truck driver involved in the accident on Field’s Hill that killed 23 people, got his job with Sagekal Logistics using fraudulent driving permits, his employer Gregory Govender has alleged.
Govender has also said the truck May was driving underwent a service a week before the accident and was roadworthy.
This emerged at a press conference in Durban on Monday, in which Govender had planned to make his first public statement on the accident and the events leading up to it. But the media was told Govender would not be attending after all, since he feared for his life.
“Since Friday, he has been receiving death threats following social media postings of his contact details,” said his spokeswoman, Lisa Sukdev.
Sukdev read a statement from Govender which, she said, sought to address allegations made in the media and by the public.
“On September 1, Sanele came to the yard requesting work and was advised to return the next day when he would be tested,” Sukdev read.
May was tested and was one of two drivers hired by Govender’s company after meeting their requirements.
“He presented us with seemingly legitimate documents. A code 14 driver’s licence issued in Swaziland in 2012, his Swaziland passport, a South African traffic register number certificate, and his public driver’s permit, also issued in Swaziland.”
After the accident, Govender had investigated the legitimacy of the documents.
“On Friday afternoon, it was established that Sanele’s South African traffic register number was fraudulent. It was further established that Sanele’s public driving permit was also fraudulent,” Sukdev said.
The traffic register number - required to buy or register a vehicle - belonged to a Swazi asylum seeker, while the public driving permit - required to transport goods on public roads - was confirmed as fake by the Swazi authorities.
Sukdev said the truck was serviced at the end of August and documents were provided to investigators to prove this.
While its licence had expired on August 31, the company had 21 days to renew it.
Govender’s attorney, Theasen Pillay, was also present at the conference, along with a private collision homicide reconstruction expert, Stan Bezuidenhout, hired by Govender to investigate the accident independently.
Bezuidenhout said he had already audited Govender’s entire fleet and that applications had been made for access to the impounded truck.
He said that he did not know why May chose to take the Field’s Hill route, but if he had navigated Van Reenen’s Pass and the hills near Pietermaritzburg, he should have been able to cope with Field’s Hill.
kevinlancaster@inl.co.za
The Mercury