THE owner of Reddy’s buses has broken his silence after the deadly crash that claimed the lives of three Tongaat residents, last Tuesday.

Nivashen Reddy, 43, said he and his brothers were living in fear of their lives after receiving multiple death threats since the accident.

He said they also worried about the future of their business which “is our bread and butter”.

“What happened is truly unfortunate and we are traumatised. The people who lost their lives in the crash and many of those who were injured, were like family to us. We knew them personally as they travelled in our buses for many years,” said Reddy. 

Reddy told the POST that his father Balaraman had started their family’s bus business, in Tongaat, in 1994. 

In 2011, Balaraman and his wife Maliga were murdered in their Burbreeze home.

Reddy together with his brothers Marlin and Bernard, took over their fathers buses. He was 29-years-old at the time. 

“Our buses have been running in Tongaat for more than 30 years. Since we took over the business we have had no accidents or incidents with fatalities.

“This incident has devastated me. I am finding it difficult to do anything or to function daily. All I think about day and night is this accident and how our passengers lost their lives …” he said.

Reddy said soon after the crash, he and his family had received death threats and backlash on social media.

“If we could have avoided the accident, we would have. We never wanted anyone to get injured or die. We have always been part of the community. I never refused anyone transport. Even those who did not have bus fare travelled on our buses.

“I have only broken my silence now because I have been fearful. Social media has been brutal. My family and I have been painted in such a bad light. I did not say anything because I felt defeated.

“I feel like it is the end of my father’s legacy business. Everything we built up over the years, including our reputation, has been taken away from us. We don’t know how we will move forward. This business is our bread and butter. It sustained us after our parents were killed,” he added.

Reddy said he wanted to set the record straight about which of their buses was involved in the crash.

“The bus that was involved in the accident was not the original Burbreeze bus. People are speculating on social media and complaining about the wrong bus. The bus that normally runs in Burbreeze was taken off the road and is being repaired.

“We did not want to disrupt the service for the people who rely on us to get to work, so I lent my bus to my brother. He runs the Burbreeze bus route. The bus involved in the accident was meant to have been sold two weeks ago,” said Reddy.

He said he knew the ins and outs of his buses.

“I have been exposed to buses from an early age. My brothers and I have been driving the buses for years. I had helped my dad with the buses since I was 15-years-old. I know how important it is to maintain and repair the buses.

“The bus was in good condition and roadworthy. It had passed all the required tests to be on the road. People think that running buses is easy and that we are rich. But it is the exact opposite. It is expensive to keep these buses running. We make enough to put food on the table. Spares for the repairs are not cheap. There have been many times when I did not have enough money for the parts so I had to take out loans,” said Reddy.

“I always repair my buses to the best of my ability because I value each life that takes our buses. Our own family members take these buses,” he added.

DA councillor Yogis Govender said accidents at R102 Old Main Road bridge were not uncommon.

“According to the official records, in the last three years there have been at least 10 collisions and 8 deaths here. In my view there have been more accidents further up this road that may not have been reported.

“This tragedy is yet another stark reminder of the Department of Transport’s (DoT KZN) and eThekwini Municipality’s failure to respond to repeated calls for traffic calming measures and bridge repairs. For more than seven years, the DA has been warning officials in eThekwini and DoT KZN about the dangers of this stretch of road. It is appalling that the officials have ignored these warnings,” said Govender. 

She said the bridge was in a state of disrepair, with missing railings and lifting paving which posed a serious risk to users. 

“The fact that at least four vehicles have gone over the edge, over the years for various reasons, resulting in fatalities, is a damning indictment of the department’s inaction. We demand accountability for this negligence.

“I have been writing to DoT for years and eThekwini always deferred the matter to KZN DoT citing that it was their jurisdiction. It was only after I raised this again, after the bus accident, that eThekwini retracted their initial position and admitted that traffic calming in this hot spot was in fact their mandate. They have now hastily agreed to meet with me to initiate an assessment into what traffic calming measures can be implemented,” said Govender. 

Ndabezinhle Sibiya, spokesperson KZN DoT and Human Settlements department said the report from the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) indicated that a case of culpable homicide was being investigated by police.

“MEC Siboniso Duma wanted charges of murder to be opened against the bus driver. He is very disappointed that a case of culpable homicide is being investigated. However, he is confident that SAPS will do justice since three people have died due to the alleged recklessness of the driver.

“Road accidents continue to cause anarchy in KZN, also considering that the economy is affected when there is stand still traffic. We have figures that indicate that road accidents are costing the country R163 billion.

“However, the MEC is confident that the police investigating this accident will get to the bottom of the issue,” said Sibiya.

He said that MEC Duma was also calling for bus owners and the road worthiness of the vehicle to be investigated. 

“The MEC has instructed the RTI with the Road Traffic Management Corporation to also investigate the condition of the  bus and the driver. There have been allegations from the community about the alleged recklessness of the bus driver,” he said. Tongaat police are investigating a case of culpable homicide. 

THE POST 

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