By Lauren Hendricks and Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) provincial government has sent his deepest condolences to the families of the eight people killed in a horror crash on Friday morning.
A vehicle transporting schoolchildren collided with a supermarket truck on the N2 near Mandeni.
The seven pupils and their driver died.
Family members rushed to the scene of the accident near the Mandeni Toll Plaza after they heard what had happened.
They and a group of onlookers who gathered watched as the wreckage of the seven-seater car vehicle was slowly lifted onto a tow truck.
A few meters down the embankment, the truck’s cab lay on its roof and its trailer on its side. Several locals had already arrived to loot its contents, which included foodstuff.
A relative of three boys who were killed told Newswatch that one of the children was in primary school while the other two were in high school.
The man said he had been preparing to go to a funeral on Friday before he got news of the tragedy.
Another man who lost his nephew said he read about the crash on social media moments before his phone started going off.
Transport MEC Siboniso Duma said, “Another dark cloud is hanging over KwaZulu-Natal after yet another horrific accident on our roads.’
“Our hearts are with the families and relatives of 8 victims of the horrific road accident between Bridges 17 and 19 on the N2 Mandeni.”
Duma who was at the scene and said they would support the families.
“We want to comfort the families and we are going to assist them until the funeral.”
Authorities said the preliminary investigations show the children’s driver lost control of the vehicle.