A Patensie taxi driver was fined R5000 for squashing 50 kids into a 15-seater taxi on 5 August.
Hyron Bruintjies, 21, appeared in the Patensie court this week on a charge of over-loading his vehicle. He was given the option to pay the fine or spend six months in prison
According to warrant officer Gerda Swart of the SAP Uitenhage cluster, Bruintjies chose to pay the fine.
Bruintjies was spotted by an alert station commander of the Patensie detective branch, Lt Loaan Steenkamp, who noticed the reckless driving of a white Toyota Quantum at high speed with children in it. When the taxi was pulled over 50 schoolkids from the ages of 6-12 years got out of the vehicle.
Bruintjies first appeared in the Hankey Magistrate’s Court on 6 August.
Humansdorp Cluster Commander, Brigadier Neil Jantjies, praised the officer and said the SAP will ensure it delivers on its mandate to enable citizens of this country to live in a safe and secure environment, especially the women and children.”
Source St Francis Chronicle and SAP
St Francis Chronicle 