Central SA
Eight months later, Vanderbijlpark scholar transport driver granted bail─── ZENANDE MPAME 10:33 Thu, 10 Sep 2026
A Vanderbijlpark scholar transport driver will in two months stand trial on 14 counts of murder following a crash that claimed the lives of 14 learners on the R553 Golden Highway.
Ayanda Dludla was granted R3,000 bail by the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (9/9), with the state having opposed his release. He also faces three counts of attempted murder and charges relating to the operation of an unroadworthy and unlicensed vehicle and driving without a professional driving permit.
The charges stem from a collision in January, when Dludla was allegedly transporting 17 learners in a scholar transport vehicle along the R553 Golden Highway. The vehicle collided head-on with an oncoming truck, resulting in the deaths of 14 learners. Three other learners were injured in the crash.
The state opposed Dludla’s bail application, but the court found that it would be in the interest of justice to release him on bail, subject to several conditions. The trial is scheduled for 9 to 17 November.
“Dludla must report to the Vanderbijlpark Police Station every Friday and is prohibited from driving any motor vehicle until the finalisation of the case, ” said Gauteng NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana. “Dludla must reside at his mother’s residence unless authorised by the investigating officer to do otherwise, and may not interfere with witnesses.
“In addition, should he wish to communicate an apology to the families of the deceased learners, such communication may only take place through the investigating officer.”
The case has been closely watched by the families of the learners who died in the crash. Innocentia Vinger, whose daughter Ofentse, 6, was among the 14 learners killed, previously said the families wanted accountability for the children’s deaths.
She said the bail application had been difficult for grieving parents, who continue to deal with the loss of their children. “I do not know how we are going to deal with this because we all stay in the same community; 80% of the parents are going to see Ayanda every day.
“It is painful to watch him seek his freedom while the families continue to live with the loss of their children. The pain remains particularly difficult as my daughter’s seventh birthday is coming.”
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