A grade 9 pupil who was critically injured when a minibus taxi veered off a road, struck a tree and crashed into an Imbali creche near Pietermaritzburg last week, has died.
KwaZulu-Natal transport and human settlements MEC Siboniso Duma said he received news on Friday about the death of Nomalanga Ndawonde, 15, at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital.
“About 3am she succumbed to traumatic brain injuries she suffered when a minibus taxi experienced brake failure while descending T22 Road in Unit 18, Imbali.
“We were nursing hope that she was going to survive and rejoin her grade 9 classmates at Zibukezulu High School. Sadly, she has left us,” Duma said.
There were conflicting accounts about the driver after the accident which claimed the lives of four pupils travelling in the taxi when it crashed into Senzokuhle Pre-School.
Some witnesses claimed he might have jumped out of the vehicle before it crashed.
Duma said they had contacted the Ndawonde family to offer religious and psychological support.
He said three pupils — Luthando Zaca, Omphile Mbhense and Zanokuhle Notha — had been buried while a fourth, Mthobisi Khambule, will be buried on Saturday.
Duma said an integrated approach involving the education and health departments has been adopted to assist the affected families and schools.
TimesLIVE
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