Free State – A 35-year-old truck driver has tragically died in an accident near Harrismith after the truck he was in was pelted with a stone and veered off the N5 road.
Free State police spokesperson, Motantsi Makhele, says the 35-year-old man, who hails from Clanwilliam in the Western Cape, was coming from the direction of Durban on Wednesday night, 26 May, when the incident occurred.
An eyewitness informed police that he saw the unnamed driver passing by the Makgolokweng township turnoff where a group of people were standing by.
One of them – believed to be a protester – then threw a stone at the truck, resulting in the 35-year-old man losing control of his vehicle.
“The driver drove into the veld where the truck hit an embankment and caught fire. The police, who arrived first at the scene, found a Scania Truck with a trailer which was burning in the veld. The police could not see the driver until after the fire has subsided. They saw his body on the passenger seat of the truck, burned to death,” explains Makhele.
The identity of the deceased cannot be unveiled due to his family not being notified as yet.
A Maluti bus was also pelted with stones by demonstrators in the same area on the same night.
Overall, a total of 42 people were arrested since Monday, 15 of which appeared before the Harrismith Magistrate’s court on charges of public violence. Their case has been postponed to 2 June 2021 for Legal Aid application.
– OFM News
