Pinetown truck driver considers plea bargain

Sanele Goodness May's lawyer Professor Mdletshe on Tuesday asked the Durban High Court for the case against his client to be postponed for "possible plea bargain negotiations".

 

The matter was then postponed to September 17.

 

On the evening of September 5 last year, at the height of rush-hour traffic, May's truck smashed into four minibus taxis and two cars at an intersection at the bottom of Fields Hill in Pinetown.

 

Twenty-two people were killed at the scene. Two died later in hospital.

 

May has been in custody ever since and was previously denied bail in the Pinetown Magistrate's Court.

 

Initially he was charged with 24 counts of murder, but this was changed to 24 culpable homicide charges.

 

At May's previous appearance in court the matter was postponed, according to National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Nathi Mncube to allow the state to consider bringing more charges and more accused.

 

However, no mention of this was made during May's brief appearance on Tuesday.