Daily Sun (October 2 2014) - THERE WAS NO reason for the bus to suddenly start swerving wildly . . . Except that the bus driver had the shock of his life when he looked down. ON THE GROUND BETWEEN HIS FEET WAS A HUGE GREEN MAMBA LOOKING UP AT HIM!
The bus driver later said when he saw the snake raising its head he got such a fright that he let go of the steeringwheel and jumped to his feet.
The driver was on the M25 highway near Dube Village in Inanda, KZN yesterday morning when he
saw the snake.
Out of control, the bus raced across the lanes, side-swiping a Quantum taxi travelling next to it. Then it jumped over the grass verge between the two roads and struck a taxi coming the other way.
When the bus finally came to a standstill, four people were dead and four seriously injured.
Clive Ntuli (38) from Matabetulu in Umzinyathi told Daily Sun his fiance, Nolwazi Dlamini (27), had died.
"I got a phone call telling me about the accident. I was praying she had survived but when I got to the scene I was told she was dead," said Ntuli.
"My heart is torn apart. She was my world."
A woman who did not want to be named said she heard a crash and went out to look.
"I saw the taxi conductor jumping through the window. He wasn't injured. But then I went closer and saw body parts scattered everywhere," she said.
Residents and motorists who gathered were greeted by the horror scene of the body parts of dead people scattered around the area. A severed leg was found in a shack next to the road. Some residents examined the bodies to check whether their relatives were among the injured or dead.
A resident said the driver looked scared and confused.
"He told us the snake frightened him. We found the snake and beat it to death with stones," said a resident.
The driver apparently ran away before the cops arrived.
The driver of the Quantum, Mbangiseni Mbonambi (58), said the bus hit his Quantum as he was driving next to it.
"I immediately swerved out of the way but then it crashed with an oncoming taxi," said Mbangiseni.
"The bus wasn't going very fast so I believe the driver who said the snake disturbed him."
The SunTeam could not find the driver and officials could not confirm where he was injured.
Robert McKenzie of the Emergency Medical Services said the Jaws of Life were used to cut open the wreckage.
Colonel Jay Naicker of the SAPS said: "Four women aged between 27 and 44 died and four were injured and taken to hospital for medical attention.
"The cause of the accident is unknown at this stage. We are investigating a case of culpable homicide," said Naicker.
Duze Ngcobo, the Metro bus media liaison officer, said the driver was taken in for questioning by police.
"We will visit the affected families," said Ngcobo.
See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....
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