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A 22-year-old truck driver has made his first appearance in the Durban Magistrates Court following the multi-vehicle pile-up in Umhlanga.
Sithulile Siyabonga Nhlanhlayethu Zulu is being charged with reckless and negligent driving and failure to comply with the duties of a driver following an accident.
Zulu was driving a tipper truck on the M41 eastbound on Monday when his truck smashed into 49 vehicles leaving 15 people injured.
The driver who was not at the scene of the accident handed himself over to police hours after the accident.
Zulu will be remanded in custody until his next court appearance on the 15th of March when he is expected to apply for bail.
Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal Transport Department has ordered a full-scale investigation into the multiple-car crash.
Zulu's tipper truck is suspected to have experienced break failure, which caused major devastation and brought traffic to a standstill.
Transport, Community Safety, and Liaison MEC, Sipho Hlomuka, said the investigating team is already taking statements from the eyewitnesses and will reconstruct the scene, while the truck will be taken for forensic inspection.
