“They were all here for the show because at the end of a show everyone leaves.”
These were the words of Andrea Sass who, 10 years on, feels neglected and forgotten.
Sass was one of the survivors of the tragic bus crash in Rheenendal, outside Knysna on August 24 2011.
Her peers were not so lucky. Fourteen children died, as well as the bus driver.
Sass, a 13-year-old bus monitor at the time, had been called to testify in the inquest which played out in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court.
In August 2014, the court found that negligence on behalf of several role players, including the bus driver, had contributed to the tragedy.
Magistrate Derek Torlage had highlighted several issues with the bus, including an ineffective right rear brake system, cracks in the chassis, and problems with the gear lever and clutch.
He said that adding to this, 65-year-old driver Tiaan Colin Payle’s age and complaints about pain in his legs before the accident was a deadly combination.
While Torlage’s recommendations were taken under consideration, the director of public prosecutions declined to prosecute.
“To this day I am still angry,” Sass, now 23, said with a tremble in her voice.
“I still want answers. I thought we were [winning the court case].
“But nobody came back to us and we found out in the newspaper that no-one was being held responsible.
“How can you read about that in the paper?
“No-one ever apologised to us or the victims.
“I don’t want sympathy, I just wanted someone to take responsibility.
“There were lives that were lost, little children.
“They had a future.”
After the crash, she said the support offered to the victims and their families quickly dwindled.
“It was only the first year that there were people offering us counselling and support. After that there was silence.
“We were made to feel like we were nothing, we were swept under the carpet.
“They came for the show, and when the show is done there are no people,” she said.
‘I don’t want sympathy, just someone to take responsibility’
Garden Route reporter
Image: WERNER HILLS
“They were all here for the show because at the end of a show everyone leaves.”
These were the words of Andrea Sass who, 10 years on, feels neglected and forgotten.
Sass was one of the survivors of the tragic bus crash in Rheenendal, outside Knysna on August 24 2011.
Her peers were not so lucky. Fourteen children died, as well as the bus driver.
Sass, a 13-year-old bus monitor at the time, had been called to testify in the inquest which played out in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court.
In August 2014, the court found that negligence on behalf of several role players, including the bus driver, had contributed to the tragedy.
Magistrate Derek Torlage had highlighted several issues with the bus, including an ineffective right rear brake system, cracks in the chassis, and problems with the gear lever and clutch.
He said that adding to this, 65-year-old driver Tiaan Colin Payle’s age and complaints about pain in his legs before the accident was a deadly combination.
While Torlage’s recommendations were taken under consideration, the director of public prosecutions declined to prosecute.
“To this day I am still angry,” Sass, now 23, said with a tremble in her voice.
“I still want answers. I thought we were [winning the court case].
“But nobody came back to us and we found out in the newspaper that no-one was being held responsible.
“How can you read about that in the paper?
“No-one ever apologised to us or the victims.
“I don’t want sympathy, I just wanted someone to take responsibility.
“There were lives that were lost, little children.
“They had a future.”
After the crash, she said the support offered to the victims and their families quickly dwindled.
“It was only the first year that there were people offering us counselling and support. After that there was silence.
“We were made to feel like we were nothing, we were swept under the carpet.
“They came for the show, and when the show is done there are no people,” she said.
HeraldLIVE
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