The Govender family are still in a state of shock after a bus crashed into their home in Canehaven Drive, Caneside, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Roaring Thunder, a bus owned by the company Umoya Umhle Transport, went off the main road, drove over the boundary wall and miraculously stopped in front of the Govenders’ bedroom window, while the family were asleep in the house. The family did not sustain any injuries, however, the front of the house is badly damaged. Home owner, Peter Govender, said they are still in shock. “We are grateful to God that no one was injured or killed in the accident. At 4.45am on Wednesday, my family was asleep when we heard a noise that sounded like ‘huge thunder’ or an ‘explosion’ coming from the front of the house. We ran out of the house through the backdoor. When we went to the front of the house, we saw that a bus had gone through the boundary wall and crashed into our house. “The bus stopped in front of our bedroom window. The front part of the house is destroyed. The boundary wall, garden, patio sliding doors, windows and front area was damaged. We did not see the driver of the bus, however, we could hear someone screaming and crying opposite the house at the petrol station which we believe could possibly have been the driver. The next door neighbour’s car windscreen was also bust in the accident,” claimed Govender.
Govender claimed that the police were at the petrol station opposite the house when the accident happened. “The police came and took the details of the accident. The bus was towed away by the bus company. The bus owner said that he will repair the damage.” Prem Balram of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) said the driver of the bus was the only occupant at the time. “The homeowner was inside the house at the time of the incident and was not injured. Details leading up to the accident are being investigated.” Speaking to Phoenix Tabloid, Popsie Titanber, the owner of Umoya Umhle Transport, said the bus was in order that morning. “The bus driver is in hospital. I do not know the state of his health. The mechanics of the bus were checked that morning and all was in order. I am so sorry for the accident that occurred. I am grateful that the homeowners are okay. I sympathise with the family and I understand the shock and pain they must be going through.”
“I would not have wanted it to happen to me. The homeowners need not worry, the company will take full responsibility for the damages caused by the bus accident. I took the engineers to the house on Thursday morning. We are not waiting for the insurance, the company will fix the house. It’s winter and we will ensure that the family are not affected by the cold. I believe that when we do wrong then we need to correct the situation. We will do our utmost to get the house back in shape again,” said Titanber. Captain Louise Naidoo, the spokesperson for Phoenix SAPS, confirmed that a collision occurred but there were no injuries.
