Bus driver haunted by dead 29 passengers who perished in accident

THREE years ago, he escaped death . . .But now, life is punishing the driver of a bus 29 people died in. "Sometimes, I think it would have been better if I had died," Phila Mtshali told the People's Paper.

The 34-year-old was talking about the day in October 2008 when he heard a loud bang and the vehicle started swerving and ran off the road.

"When I close my eyes, I still hear their terrified screams and then I see their bloody bodies lying on the grass," he said.

There were more than 100 people on the bus and 29 died while 66 were seriously injured. The crash happened near the Emahlathini border post in Piet Retief, Mpumalanga. It is still the worst road accident in the history of the province!

"Four of the people who died in the accident were my close friends who went with me on the trip. But none of the passengers were just paying customers. We had become so close that I felt as if we were a big family."

Phila's problems are a long way from being over. His employers have refused to compensate him for his injuries and, according to a new law, he now faces 29 charges of murder. He could spend the next 25 years behind bars. Phila said the brakes were faulty and so was the steering shaft, but his bosses did nothing when he reported this. He said the bosses claim they knew nothing about the trip.

"They knew everything. The bus operated as a taxi," he said.

Bus owner Sam Monsoor denied that they fired Phila or refused to compensate him and insisted that the bus was roadworthy. He said they will take the matter to court.

"We had experts working on the case and it was found that Phila was speeding," he said.

Police spokesman Sergeant Gerald Sedibe said their investigations revealed that the accident happened because the bus was not roadworthy and the driver was speeding. The trial will resume on 17 September. People's Paper

Bus driver (34) haunted by dead 29 passengers who perished in 2008 accident.

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