Cape Town - The man behind the steering wheel during the accident earlier this week made his first court appearance in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court.
Mninikhaya Goodman Mvuli, 55, was arrested on Tuesday morning after the accident.
The horrific accident happened on AZ Berman Drive, Mitchells Plain, at about 7.30am.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
“The 55-year-old driver was arrested on a charge of culpable homicide and will appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court once he has been charged.”
The public gallery was filled with the driver’s supporters, family and school transport drivers.
The accused emerged from the court cells wearing a blue mask and a long black coat.
Mninikhaya is facing five counts of culpable homicide and reckless driving.
At first he said he would get a private attorney but had to consult with his family, but the magistrate advised that he gets a State provided lawyer for the bail application and he then chose a Legal Aid attorney to represent him on Monday.
NPA regional spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila revealed that Mninikhaya was convicted in 1992.
“Investigations showed that he was convicted for rape. At the moment we have not seen any matters pending.”
His emotional niece, Phumeza Mvuli, apologised for the accident.
“He doesn’t drink or smoke. We also lost a relative in the accident.
“We are very hurt about what happened on Tuesday. We would like to apologise for the incident. He is a good man, a pastor and is very responsible."
His sister, Nomahlubi Mvuli, said she didn’t know about her brother’s arrest until she watched a video on WhatsApp.
“I got a call on Wednesday morning and people showed me the video and that is when I saw my brother.
“I last saw him in April because he lives with his wife and his wife’s late niece, who also died in the accident,” the sister explained.
“His neighbour’s child was killed in the accident and I don’t know how people will look at him again after this.
“His wife was very traumatised. She collapsed on Tuesday and was admitted to hospital but later discharged.”
Outside court were his fellow school transport drivers, who demanded that Mninikhaya remain behind bars.
Isaac Mzozo said: “We would like to apologise to the parents of the children who died and were injured in the fatal crash.
“We had a meeting and decided to police ourselves and check every car and patrol. We don’t want any cars that are unroadworthy on the roads. We are not happy about the accident.
“We would like to tell the government this will never happen again, not on our watch.”
About four motorcycle clubs will hold a memorial ride to honour the deceased on Monday at 6pm.
The event will start at the Westgate Mall in Mitchells Plain, move to the scene of the crash on AZ Berman Drive, and end at the Promenade.
Anyone with information about the accident is requested to contact Crime Stop anonymously on 08600 10111.