‘We are not sure where the child is from’: Scramble to identify one of 12 learners killed in Vaal crash
Twelve learners were killed when the scholar transport vehicle, a Toyota Quantum they were travelling in crashed into a truck in Vanderbijlpark in the Vaal, Gauteng on Monday.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
Authorities in Gauteng are scrambling to identify one of the 12 learners who died in the Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash on Monday.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday morning, Gauteng education department spokesperson Steve Mabona said the death toll had been revised to 12, with one learner yet to be identified.
“The number of learners that passed on is 12. We might have released different numbers but we can confirm that the number of learners that passed on is 12. Out of the 12, we have one child that is unidentified. We are still trying to make sure that we identify, working with the families, this one child. We are finalising that process so that the family can identify that child,” said Mabona.
Devastated parents and family members at the scene of Monday’s scholar transport crash in Vanderbijlpark, where 12 pupils were killed.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
The deceased learners are from different schools, including Hoërskool Vanderbijlpark, Vaal High School and El-Shaddai Christian School in Vanderbijlpark.
As of Tuesday morning, three learners were still recuperating in hospital.
Mabona said psychosocial support workers had been dispatched to all affected schools while processes were under way to identify the 12th deceased learner.
“Actually, we have sent psychological support to all the schools that are affected. The only (outstanding) one is the unidentified one, we are not sure where that child is from but we are finalising that process. As soon as we have that, we should be in a position to make necessary announcements,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, IOL reported that the Gauteng provincial department of transport said preliminary reports into the Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash, in which 12 learners died, suggest that the driver was not licenced to operate the vehicle.
Gauteng Department of Transport spokesperson Lesiba Mpya said indications were that the Toyota Quantum was also not licenced to transport learners.
Speaking to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, Mpya cautioned that investigations were still ongoing and were being led by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“We have received a preliminary report that are in the public domain. There are speculative reports as well that we have received. At this current moment, we are still verifying those particular reports and this points us to the fact that the driver might have been unlicenced, including the vehicle itself.
“At the current moment, we are still depending on the police’s investigations, with the information we have at our disposal,” he said.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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