WHILE Malabar Primary School pupils received counselling yesterday, one of their critically injured peers was recovering from surgery to amputate his leg.
It appears that Grade 7 pupil Zanoxolo Tyambo became trapped under the overloaded bus when it rolled while travelling in Beetlestone Road, Malabar, on Monday afternoon.
The bus transports pupils to and from the Motherwell area.
Minutes later, there was another accident just 200m away involving a bakkie transporting 19 children and an emergency vehicle rushing to the bus crash scene.
A total of 100 children were injured – among them Zanoxolo and his fellow Grade 7 pupils Buhlebethu Feni, Lifa Claasen and Nwabisa Tshasi, who were also seriously injured.
Feni is still in hospital after undergoing surgery to her leg.
Claasen and Tshasi, who between them suffered broken legs, ribs and a collar- bone, were discharged yesterday.
Malabar Primary deputy principal Eugene Serfontein said a delegation from the school tried to meet the management of the Algoa Bus Company yesterday, but they were unable to accommodate them.
Representatives of the school had hoped to use the meeting as a platform to raise safety concerns.
Algoa Bus chief executive Sicelo Duze said: "Because the matter is still under investigation I am unable to comment or release a statement at this point.”
Meanwhile, the bus driver, Thembelani Nogantshi, 43, was released on R1000 bail after appearing in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He has been charged with reckless and negligent driving.
It is alleged the brakes of the bus malfunctioned, and that the driver lost control of the bus which overturned and landed on its side. The bus is licensed to carry 60 passengers but was transporting more than 80.
Warrant Officer Alwin Labans said police were investigating the cause of the accident.
