TRUCK DRIVER SENTENCED
Nelspruit – A 32-year-old truck driver, George Mandlazi
appeared before Judge Nomsa Khumalo at the Gauteng Circuit of the High Court in
Nelspruit on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to 24 counts of culpable
homicide for sentencing.
On the day of
the accident, Mandlazi was on duty on his way to Tulloh Farm carrying 47
seasonal fruit pickers on 13 July 2012, when the truck he was driving collided
with a train.
Twenty four
(24) people died horrifically and the rest sustained serious and slightly
injuries after Mandlazi failed to stop and collided with the train. He was
arrested and granted a R3 000 bail after he appeared several times before the
court until his sentencing yesterday.
Judge Khumalo
has sentenced Mandlazi to 10 years imprisonment of which three years was
suspended for five years on condition that he is not found guilty on similar
crime.
He was also
sentenced to three years imprisonment for reckless and negligent driving which
will run concurrently with the culpable homicide sentence. The court further
suspended Mandlazi’s drivers license for a year and declared him unfit to
possess a firearm.
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