Motorist gets 10 years for crash that took minister's six family members

The man who killed six family members of transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has been handed a 10-year sentence over the July 2022 accident.

Celumusa Ngwenya, 35, pleaded guilty to six counts of culpable homicide at the Ladysmith Regional Court for killing the deceased who were aged between four and  40 years old.

According to KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, Ngwenya was driving at a speed of 158km/h in an 80km zone on July 17 2022.

This was according to a vehicle tracker report handed in to court.

Ramkission-Kara said Ngwenya overtook a double barrier line around a bend which resulted in the crash. 

“Following the accident and prosecutor-guided investigations, Ngwenya appeared in court in January 2024, on a summons. 

“In aggravation of sentence, prosecutor Sathsha Budhram led the evidence of Adv Makhosini Msibi from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) who told the court that South Africa has approximately 12,541 vehicle-related accidents, costing the economy about R198bn,” said Ramkission-Kara. 

Ramkission-Kara said Ngwenya's driver’s licence was cancelled.

She said they welcomed the successful finalisation of the matter.

"We hope that the sentence sends out the necessary deterrent message to like-minded individuals.”