Overview
- Prosecutors upgraded charges against Ayanda Dludla to 14 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and traffic offences, and he abandoned bail as the case was postponed to March 5.
- Police confirmed the death toll at 14 after two learners died in hospital, with two surviving children still receiving treatment.
- Eyewitness accounts and video indicate the minibus overtook multiple vehicles before the head-on collision, and the driver’s professional permit had expired last year.
- A Lenasia blitz led by the transport minister impounded more than 60 scholar vehicles and resulted in at least one arrest, while Tshwane officers impounded 20 unroadworthy minibuses.
- Proposed reforms include advanced defensive-driver training, clearer vehicle markings, a national scholar-transport database, and possible tracking and dashcams.