The 22-year-old scholar transport driver arrested in connection with the deaths of 14 schoolchildren in the Vanderbijlpark crash has abandoned his bid for bail. Ayanda Dludla appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where proceedings were briefly delayed after it emerged that he did not have legal representation. The court was informed that Dludla will be represented by Legal Aid when he makes his next appearance.
Dludla faces 14 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, one count of driving without a valid Professional Driving Permit (PDP) and one count of driving an unlicensed motor vehicle. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said Dludla was initially charged with culpable homicide, but the charges were upgraded following further scrutiny of the evidence. “Initially, at face value, the charges were culpable homicide.
But when the NPA produced the docket and studied the evidence that is in the docket, we found that we have prima facie evidence to prefer murder charges against the accused,” Mahanjana said. Hence, he is now facing 14 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and three other charges related to contravention of the trafficking act. Mahanjana said investigations into the matter were still ongoing and that there is still forensic evidence that needs to be studied. She added that had Dludla proceeded with a bail application, the State would have opposed it.
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