Jail for crash driver involving minister’s family

A man has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to six counts of culpable homicide following a crash that claimed the lives of family members of Transport Minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga.

KZN NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara on Thursday said the Ladysmith Regional Court sentenced Celumusa Ngwenya, 35, to an effective 10 years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to culpable homicide.

“His plea relates to the motor vehicle accident that occurred on 17 July 2022, on the N11 highway, outside Ladysmith which claimed the lives of six people who were family members of Transport Minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga,” Ramkisson-Kara said.

The deceased were between the ages of four and 40 years old.

Following the accident and prosecutor-guided investigations, Ngwenya appeared in court in January this year.

In aggravation of sentence, prosecutor Sathsha Budhram led the evidence of advocate Makhosini Msibi from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) who told the court that South Africa has approximately 12 541 vehicle-related accidents, costing the economy about R198 billion, Ramkisson-Kara said.

According to a vehicle tracker report handed into court, Ngwenya was driving at 158km/h in an 80km zone, and he overtook on a double barrier line, around a bend.

“Since all the six counts were taken as one for sentencing, Ngwenya will serve an effective 10-year imprisonment. Further, in terms of Section 34 of the National Road Traffic Act, his driving licence was cancelled,” Ramkisson-Kara said.

“The NPA welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter. We hope the sentence sends out the necessary deterrent message to like-minded individuals.”

Cape Times