Alberton horror crash truck driver told to hire lawyer

The truck driver allegedly responsible for last year's horror crash on the East Rand that left four people dead and 16 injured, made a brief appearance in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.

Isaac Maruding, 44, of Viljoenskroon in the Free State, appeared before Magistrate Zithulele Hlubi, who postponed the case to May for Maruding to appoint a lawyer and for the case to be transferred to the regional magistrate's court from the district court.

Maruding was arrested in Potchefstroom a day after his truck was involved in a 39-car pile up on the N12 in Alberton on October 14 last year. He is facing three charges of culpable homicide and one of reckless and negligent driving.

Maruding, who is out on R7000 bail, has two previous convictions. In 1999, he was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment for culpable homicide. He had been found guilty of reckless and negligent driving in 1997 and sentenced to 18 months in jail but that sentence was suspended for four years.