A truck driver is expected to appear in court on Wednesday for allegedly causing the death of eight teenage soccer players in the North West over the weekend.

They were among 30 passengers who were travelling in a truck that hit a tree when the 26-year-old driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle.

It hit the tree at the Lobatla and Driefontein intersection in Lehurutshe on Saturday, and overturned.

Six boys were certified dead on the scene and two others later died in hospital.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said the driver was arrested on Monday after failing to produce a driver’s license. He is expected to appear in the Lehurutshe Magistrate’s Court.

“He will be facing charges of culpable homicide, reckless and or negligent driving as well as driving without a driver’s licence. It came out during the investigation that the suspect was a learner driver and that he had at the time of the incident, [only possessed] a learner’s licence. Investigations into the case are ongoing,” added Mokgwabone.